


This Time Around

by honeydawn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, Hogwarts, Magic, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Time Travel, Time Travelling Hermione Granger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeydawn/pseuds/honeydawn
Summary: During the Final Battle, Hermione accidentally time travels back to the Marauders' seventh year. While she is there, she decides that she will destroy Voldemort, and prevent the terrible future that she lived in. How will Hermione's secret affect her relationships and her success in killing Voldemort in the Marauder's era? Hermione will never be able to go back to her time, but what does the past have in store for her?
Relationships: Sirius Black/Hermione Granger
Kudos: 17





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the specific order these words are in, everything else belongs to JKR :)

**May 2, 1998**

**Hogwarts ~ The Final Battle**

**3 rd Person POV:**

_Spells flew around Hermione as she raced through what was now the ruins of Hogwarts. She threw spell after spell over her shoulder as she continued rushing through the rubble and towards the Great Hall. She was looking for one person – she knew that Harry was in Dumbledore's office looking through Snape's memories and Ron was with his family – mourning Fred’s death._

_Hermione turned the corner, only to find Bellatrix cackling madly over a woman's body. Hermione couldn't see who it was from where she was standing, but when she took a few steps forward, she could tell that the woman was bleeding profusely from a slicing hex and Bellatrix was holding a dagger -_ the _dagger - in one hand and her wand in the other._

_The woman groaned in pain and tried to get up, but Bellatrix pinned her down with her wand arm and pulled her other arm back to stab the woman. At that moment, Hermione made a decision that she knew would kill her._

_Time seemed to slow down as she rushed at the older woman lying among the rubble and shoved her away, taking her place. The Death Eater barely registered the switch and by the time she had, it was too late, and she had brought the dagger down, full force._

_It hit Hermione just below her ribcage._

_For a moment, she was numb. Then the pain began. She faintly remembered that she had the Destiny Turner around her neck, but she couldn't think straight enough to process what the consequences could be._

_Hermione felt the glass being pushed into the wound, but then, as Bellatrix cackled, she felt the world begin to spin. Everything turned to shades of red and yellow. She vaguely saw Hogwarts burning, and she heard screams of anguish – some of them her own, but then her body was lifted up and she was spun round and round before slamming into a very familiar floor._


	2. an unexpected entrance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the specific order these words are in, everything else belongs to JKR :)

**September 1, 1977**

**The Great Hall ~ Dinner**

**3rd Person POV:**

"I've got it!" James Potter cried excitedly, "Make Snape go up to Dumbledore at dinner and start singing about how amazing Gryffindor is!"

"Well..."Remus Lupin said slyly, his eyes sparkling with excitement, "If you're going to include a Professor, how about McGonagall! He could serenade her! It’ll be hilarious!"

"Moony!" Exclaimed Sirius Black, or Padfoot, "Who knew the perfect Prefect had it in him? That's perfect! Snape’ll die of embarrassment!"

Peter Pettigrew nodded excitedly, "Yeah!" No one saw his crestfallen face when none of the other boys responded. It was the first day of the Marauder's 7th year of school at Hogwarts, and they intended to pull as many pranks as possible before leaving. To secure their legacy, if you would.

Just as Professor Dumbledore stood up to give his speech, a loud bang that seemed to have come from the ceiling filtered through the Great Hall. A column of white light reached down from the enchanted sky to the floor. Cries of shock came from all four tables, and the professors came down from the Head Table and quickly positioned themselves around the mysterious light, with their wands at the ready.

A figure fell through the light. As soon as the person hit the floor, the light disappeared. There were gasps of horror as the person - a young woman - lay on the floor twitching uncontrollably – there was blood pouring from multiple wounds on her body. She looked like she had been through Hell and back.

The Headmaster kneeled next to the girl and gently shook her shoulder to see how she would respond. Her hand immediately went to her stomach where a dagger was embedded. Her bloodied hand grasped the handle, and, with a pained cry, she pulled the knife out of her body.

There were gasps from the students, and Peter turned his face away from the terrible sight. Sirius looked on in horror, unable to tear his eyes away, and Remus clenched his fists, bile rising in his throat. James automatically moved towards the young woman to get a better look, and Sirius instinctively went with him.

None of the professors moved to stop the two boys as they walked towards the injured girl. Sirius leaned over her, trying not to gag from the smell of the pool of crimson blood that surrounded her. Just like Dumbledore had done, He tapped her shoulder to try and get some other response from her. Her arm that was holding the dagger swung up and almost hit him as she sat up and tried to move away from him, holding the ornate knife in a defensive position.

She continued to move away from him until her back hit the bench of the Ravenclaw table. The students sitting there immediately gravitated away from her. Slowly, she pulled herself up into a standing position, clutching the knife tightly. Sirius moved towards her once again, eyeing the dagger cautiously, "What's your name?"

Instead of answering his question, she pointed the knife at him, "Don't touch me. Ever. Again. You-you sick, twisted - "

"Hold up, " said James, moving to stand next to Sirius, "Who are you and how do you know him?"

Her brown eyes widened in shock, "H-Harry?! I-I thought you were - " she didn't finish her sentence. Instead, her eyes glazed over, and her hand cradled her stomach. She swayed on the spot for a moment collapsing in a dead faint.

**A/N: How was it? Review please :)**


	3. meeting the marauders

**September 1, 1977**

**3rd Person POV:**

The Marauders stared at the injured girl as the Headmaster levitated her to the Hospital Wing with Professor McGonagall following him. After a minute of silence, the students went back to eating, but this time, they were talking about the mysterious young woman. James and Sirius made their way back to their seats, but after taking one look at Sirius' and Peter's faces, all four Marauder's decided to head back to the common room.

As soon as the boys got to there, they all collapsed onto the couch. James was the first to speak, "What the bloody hell was that?"

“I don’t know, mate.” Sirius shrugged, “hopefully, she’ll be alright.”

Peter spoke up, "We should go see her tomorrow." The woman looked like she had been tortured – _did the Dark Lord have anything to do with her?_

"Genius, Pete!" James grinned, "We'll go during lunch!" The other boys nodded in agreement and they all made their way upstairs to get ready for bed, all four minds on the mysterious girl.

**Hogwarts ~ The Hospital Wing**

In the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey was casting a diagnosis charm on her latest patient as the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall looked on worriedly. Poppy stared at the results for a moment before Minerva spoke up, "Will she live?"

The Matron looked up, "Most likely. The knife that she was stabbed with was serrated and dipped in poison, but I managed to extract all the poison from her body and heal the wound."

"What were her other injuries?" Questioned the concerned Headmaster.

"Multiple fractured and broken ribs, mild concussion, mildly punctured lung, poorly healed slicing hex, bruises and cuts everywhere, and..." Poppy trailed off for a moment, "the poor girl is suffering from intense aftereffects of a prolonged Cruciatus."

"Is there anything else?" Asked Minerva anxiously, hoping to God there wasn't.

Poppy took a deep breath before gently picking up the girls lower left arm and vanishing the bandages that were there. The other two adults gasped in shock when they saw the word _'MUDBLOOD'_ carved into her skin, "I tried to heal it, but the cuts just got deeper," murmured Poppy, "I think it was dark magic. She'll have to wear the bandages until it heals by itself...If it does."

"Merlin," whispered Minerva in shock, "Who could do that to someone? Especially someone so young..." She trailed off in horror.

"I don't know, Minerva," answered Albus gravely, "Poppy, do you know how old she is?"

Without looking up, Madame Pomfrey replied, "I don't know for sure, but I'd say anywhere from 17 to 21."

Albus nodded nodded, "How long will she have to stay here for?"

"Somewhere between a week or two, I'd say, as long as she rests and takes all the medicine she needs on time."

"Alright," Albus said, "if she is alright for now, we ought to go to bed. After all, classes start tomorrow. Oh, and Poppy?"

Poppy glanced up, "Yes?"

"Please inform me as soon as she wakes up."

"Of course, Albus."

The three adults bid one another good night and made their way to their beds, each worrying and wondering about the wounded young woman.

**September 2, 1977**

**Hogwarts ~ Gryffindor 7 th Year Boys’ Dorm**

"Levicorpus!" Cried James, pointing his wand at Sirius, who was refusing to get up. Sirius hung from the ceiling, still half asleep, before James let him down roughly.

"Aaaah!" Screamed Sirius, still not quite used to James' routine for waking him up, even though it had been used for almost four years.

"C'mon, Sirius! Hurry up! We're already late for breakfast, and if we miss breakfast, we'll half to eat lunch, and if we have to eat lunch, we can't go see that girl in the Hospital Wing, and if we can't visit the girl, then we won't know who she is!" Peter finished in one breath.

Remus laughed as he came out of the bathroom just in time to hear the end of Peter's tirade, "They won't miss breakfast, don't worry."

At Peter's skeptical look, Sirius grinned and jumped out of his bed, "Remus's right, Pete!" Peter pointedly looked at his watch as Sirius flung open the bathroom door dramatically, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

The trio laughed as Sirius waltzed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

After 20 minutes of pampering (which was very quick for Sirius), Sirius strode out and struck a pose, "Voila!" Remus rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, and James chuckled as they (" _Finally,_ " as Peter put it) made their way to breakfast.

As soon as they got their schedules and finished their hurried breakfast, they headed to their first classes of the day.

**Hogwarts ~ The Hospital Wing**

As soon as they got out of Transfiguration, the four boys hurried to the Hospital Wing. After Remus checked that Madame Pomfrey was in her office, the Marauders crept in. They tip-toed towards the only occupied bed in the room. The bed was in the far corner of the quiet, pristine wing. The girl was lying in what the Marauders called "Moony's bed," and, for a long moment, the four boys just stood by her bed and stared at her. There were bruises and cuts all over her face and her arm was heavily bandaged. Everything else was covered up by the thin hospital blanket.

"Merlin..." Breathed Remus, unsure of what to say.

"It looks even worse up close," said Sirius, and James gave him a look that said, _'You insensitive git.'_

Peter sat down next to her and looked at the young woman closely, "Guys, look at that cut on her neck."

James peered at what Peter was pointing to and his eyes widened, "It looks like a knife was held there."

"What the fuck?!" Exploded Sirius, "Look at her! She's _our_ age!" The thought of someone going through what the girl had gone through horrified Sirius.

Remus gave him a warning look, but the damage was already done.

The girl began screaming and thrashing about in her sleep. The four boys slowly backed away in horror as Madame Pomfrey hurried out of her office to tend to her patient. When she saw the Marauders, she clucked her tongue in annoyance, but immediately turned to the girl on the bed.

She cast some spells on her and turned to James, "Mr. Potter, go get the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall." James nodded and quickly scurried out of the wing to go find the Professors.

The other three boys remained, staring in shock as the girl began to calm down. At their questioning gazes, the matron said, "She's waking up and most likely had a nightmare."

Remus nodded and opened his mouth to apologize for waking the girl up, but Madame Pomfrey simply sighed, "The Headmaster will deal with you boys."

"Yes, ma'am," Peter said quietly.

As the three other boys were waiting, they watched while Madame Pomfrey attended to the girl. A minute later the girl's eyes opened, and she shot up, gasping for breath. She looked around frantically as the boys watched her with piqued interest, and Madame Pomfrey trying to get her to lay back down. As soon as she spotted Remus, who was sitting in the chair next to her bed, she gasped in horror.

"Miss," the matron pleaded, "please lay back down so I can tend to your injuries."

The girl, who had just realized that Madame Pomfrey was also there, opened her mouth in shock, "Wh-what's going on? Is this some sick prank? Because I'll tell you right now, it's not funny!" At that very moment, the doors burst open to reveal the Headmaster and a very out of breath James. When the girl saw James, she immediately relaxed and cried out, "Harry! What's going on?"

"I-I'm not Harry," confusion written all over James' face, "I'm James."

"I-I..." She stammered, "That's impossible!"

"I'm afraid not, dear," replied Dumbledore seating himself on the bed adjacent to hers.

However, instead of calming down like they expected her to, she merely shrieked in what could only have been described as complete confusion and shock, "You're dead! How - When - What's going on?!"

"Miss, I need you to tell me your name," Dumbledore quietly said.

"What? You know my name!"

"I'm afraid not," Madame Pomfrey gently interrupted, "none of us know your name."

"Hermione Granger! Who else would I be?! Who else _could_ I be?! Have you all gone daft?"

The three boys and the matron gasped, shocked that anyone would talk to Albus Dumbledore in such a manner. The Headmaster's twinkling eyes widened slightly in surprise at the way she had spoken to him, and he quietly replied, "No, Miss, I do not think I have gone daft, unless you are aware of something that I am not. And I do not know who else you could be because I have never seen nor heard of a Miss Hermione Granger before. No offence meant, of course."

"I-I," what could only have been realization dawned on the young woman's tired face and she whispered, "I am very sorry sir, but could I-could I perhaps speak to you alone?"

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled, and he smiled, nodding at the other occupants of the wing to leave, "Of course, dear."

**A/N: How was it? Review please :)**


	4. maybe it won't be so bad

**September 2, 1977**

**Hogwarts ~ The Hospital Wing**

**3rd Person POV:**

Madame Pomfrey bustled over and gave Hermione some potions to drink, telling her that they would help “with the effects of the Cruciatus curse.”

Hermione thanked her and quietly asked if Madame Pomfrey had her beaded bag. The matron nodded and went to go get it for her. When she came back with the small bag, Hermione pulled out an envelope and handed it over to Dumbledore who opened the letter.

As he read, his eyes grew wide with shock, "Is this true?"

"Yes, sir, I have the Destiny Turner."

"So...you are from...the future?"

"Yes, sir."

"What house were - or, will - you be in?" Dumbledore corrected himself.

"Gryffindor, Headmaster."

"Alright. Let me finish reading this and then I'll introduce you. You could pose as a transfer student from Beauxbatons."

"Yes, sir," Hermione murmured.

She looked back at Dumbledore, who was finishing up the letter. He leaned forward and quietly said, "Your cover is that you moved here from France, where you went to Beauxbatons. Your family was tortured and killed at the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. If the Destiny Turner worked, which it obviously did, then you won't be born in 1979, and instead, it will be like you were born in 1960, and you escaped from Voldemort and his followers after being tortured."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "But...I wasn't tortured by Voldemort."

"But you're feeling the effects of the Cruciatus," he nodded to her hands, "you're shaking."

"Yes, but that was, uh, Bellatrix."

"Bellatrix?" Questioned Dumbledore.

"Lestrange. Erm,” Hermione paused, Bellatrix wasn’t yet married in this time, “Black."

"Okay. Ah, yes, I remember reading about her betrothal to Rodolphus Lestrange. As I was saying, and I'm sure you know, the Destiny Turner changes your destiny. Basically,” he paused for a moment, “What happens to you in this time – like the aftereffects you are feeling – will match up to your cover story – including the torture. You will not be born in 1979, and you are stuck forever in this time – unless you use the time turner to go further back in time. Because you won’t be born, you can keep your name."

Hermione nodded respectfully, "Yes, sir."

"In a few weeks, after you settle in, I'll call you to my office so we can further discuss this matter."

"Yes, Professor, of course."

"I'll order your books and supplies, and they will be ready for you by Wednesday. Yes. Three days, Miss Granger. Although I expect Poppy will keep you a little longer."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione smiled gratefully.

“You are very welcome, Miss Granger,” he gave her a warm smile, “Welcome to Hogwarts.”

Leaving Hermione to her thoughts, he turned and left. A few minutes later, however, the four marauders bounded in, still wanting to meet her.

Hermione stared at them, still trying to comprehend the fact that James wasn’t Harry, and that Peter hadn’t yet betrayed Lily and James, and that Sirius didn’t go to Azkaban for 13 years, and that Remus was still alive and well.

After what seemed like hours, Sirius finally spoke up, “Hello, I’m Sirius Black, and these three idiots,” he grinned and pointed at each of them, “are Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew.”

“H-Hello, I’m Hermione Granger.”

“Are you okay – are you _going_ to be okay?” Remus spoke up, looking worried.

Hermione couldn’t help but smile at Remus’ familiarity. Even though she was stuck in a different time, he was still as caring as the Remus she knew, “Yeah, Madame Pomfrey patched me up pretty good.”

“Okay,” grinned James, “ ‘cause we were worried.”

“I-I,” Hermione tried to think of something to say – but what were you supposed to say when you met your best friend’s father for the first time, his godfather who, to you, had died two years ago, your professor who was twenty years younger than when you last saw him, and the man who betrayed them all. It was hard, especially since they were all dead in her time. _No,_ Hermione reminded herself, _this is your time now. This happened for a reason. It was all planned out. Even if you were sent back earlier than you expected to go._ Originally, Hermione had planned to go back in time if they either lost the war, or it the casualties were worse than expected.

“Hello?” Asked Sirius, waving his hand in front of her face.

Hermione startled, “Oh, sorry, I-I just zoned out for a moment.”

“That’s fine,” James said, taking a seat at the edge of her bed, “Now, tell us about yourselves. Dumbledore said you were a 7th year – we’re all 7th years, which means that we can show you around and stuff!”

“Okay,” Hermione laughed, “Well, I’m Hermione Granger, I’m 17 years old, and I went to Beauxbatons, but I’ve transferred to Hogwarts,” she paused, “there’s not really much to tell about me.”

“How about your grand entrance?” Sirius asked, somewhat playfully, but Hermione could tell he was genuinely curious, and judging from the nods the other boys gave, they were, too.

“Well - I, uh,” she froze, thinking frantically, “I was, um, being chased. I-I guess you could say that.”

The boys still looked confused, but they didn’t push the matter – she would tell them when she was ready.

“So, erm,” James started, but quickly trailed off, when he realized he didn’t know what he was going to say.

Sirius cut in, “So, since you’re going to be staying at Hogwarts, do you know what house you’re going to be in?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure Dumbledore will tell me soon,” Hermione smiled at him.

“Cool,” he ran a hand through his hair and couldn’t help but think that her smile was rather pretty. Sirius promised himself to make her smile more – she had clearly already been through enough, “well, I hope you’re in Gryffindor – we're the best!”

Hermione grinned at him, “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Anyway,” Remus started, “when do you think you’ll be out of here?”

“I’m not sure – Madame Pomfrey said a week or two, I think. It really depends on how fast I heal, I guess.”

A few minutes later Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office and, seeing the boys, shooed them out, saying, “She needs her rest boys, you can visit her tomorrow!”

“Okay,” James sighed, “we’ll come visit you soon, Hermione.” The other boys nodded in agreement, and Hermione waved to them as they left the wing.

**September 10, 1977**

**Hogwarts ~ The Hospital Wing**

The next few week passed slowly, with nothing for Hermione to do, except help Madame Pomfrey around (on the rare occasion that she would allow Hermione’s help) and ask the matron when she would be released (“Soon! You need to completely recover for me to let you out!”). Hermione’s recovery was taking longer than expected, and she was anxious to go to class and get started on figuring out what to do about taking down Voldemort. It would be a lot easier to do when she could go to the library – not just reread the books she had in her beaded bag.

The Marauders seemed to have forgotten about her – they hadn’t visited since the day she woke up – and Hermione was anxious to leave the Hospital Wing.

In truth, the four boys had been completely loaded with homework and assignments (after all, it was their NEWT year), and, although they had tried to get away to visit Hermione, they simply hadn’t been able to get time away from their studies.

A week after Hermione woke up, she was visited by the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall, who had both come to check up on her.

“Poppy, when will she be released?” Albus questioned, “She’ll need to start her classes soon, or else she will have a hard time catching up.”

Poppy sighed, “I suppose she can leave tomorrow, _but_ she has to come back every evening so I can make sure she’s healing right and to give her the potions for the night.”

“Okay,” Hermione beamed, “Thank you Madame Pomfrey!” Poppy couldn’t help but smile back.

Albus turned to Hermione, “I’m guessing you want to stay in Gryffindor? I think that would be best for you, but you could always try the sorting hat on again, if you want.”

“I think I’d like to just stay in Gryffindor, Headmaster.”

Professor McGonagall gave Hermione her schedule for the year, and Dumbledore told her that her school things had arrived and that he had put them in her dorm. Soon after they left, Hermione once again found herself bored.

However, her boredom didn’t last for long, as the Marauders were finally able to get away from their schoolwork and classes to go visit her.

She was just shuffling through her beaded bag for _another_ book to read, when the boys bounded in, talking animatedly about James’ last attempt to woo Lily.

Hermione couldn’t help but smile as they crowded around her bed.

“Hey Hermione,” James grinned at her, “we’re sorry we didn’t visit – the professors have been giving us so much work, it’s crazy!”

“It’s alright, I haven’t really been doing anything anway.”

Peter piped up, “Has Madame Pomfrey decided when you’re going to be released?”

Hermione startled a little bit at his voice – she hadn’t heard him speak yet. In fact, he was the opposite of what she had expected – he was skinny, not plump, with straw blond hair, and watery blue eyes, with ears that stuck out. She could see where his animagus form came from. Peter was short compared to the rest of the Marauders – Remus towered above all of them, with James and Sirius a couple inches shorter, and Peter a few more inches short. She really hoped that he wasn’t a Death Eater yet.

She shot him a small smile, “Tomorrow, actually! I’m so ready to get out of here – I don’t think I’ve ever been more bored in my entire life!”

“That’s great – do you know which house you’ll be in?” Remus questioned.

“Yeah – Dumbledore told me earlier today - I’m going to be a Gryffindor!”

“Awesome!” Cried James and Sirius simultaneously.

Hermione laughed, “Well, since you’re all Gryffindors, I suppose I’ll be seeing a lot you, then?”

“Definitely,” Peter nodded at the foot of her bed – he was looking forward to learning more about the girl who dropped from the ceiling. After all, that was what his master had told him – find out about the mysterious girl.

Sirius grinned, “We could show you around and stuff!”

“Yeah,” James agreed, “Have you gotten your timetable?”

Hermione reached over to the nightstand for the sheet of paper that Professor McGonagall had given, but her ribs were still sore from when they had been fractured in the battle and she winced. She paused for a moment, trying to take a deep breath without hurting herself again.

Immediately, Sirius was at her side, helping her back onto the pillows. Even though Hermione was in pain, she couldn’t help but think that Sirius was rather handsome. _No, Hermione, stop it. That’s your best friend’s godfather. You will_ not _get a crush on him. He’s, like, 20 years older than you. Not anymore,_ another part of her head argued, _you’re stuck here – and you won’t be born in ‘79._ She quickly shook the thoughts from her head as the pain in her chest increased.

Hearing the commotion, Madame Pomfrey hurried out of her office, tutting when she saw the boys crowded around Hermione, who was having trouble breathing with a sharp pain in her chest. The nurse quickly administered a potion to Hermione, telling the boys they had 5 minutes to say goodnight to Hermione before they had to leave, but that they could come get her for breakfast if they wanted to.

The timetable lay forgotten on the table as the Marauders said goodbye and promised to see her the next morning.

As Hermione settled in for the night, one thought ran through her head: _Maybe it won’t be so bad in this time._

**A/N: How was it? Comment pretty please :)**


	5. welcome to hogwarts

**September 12, 1977**

**3 rd Person POV:**

Hermione had just gotten dressed the next morning when the four boys ran in.

“‘Mione! We have class today, hurry up!” Cried Sirius excitedly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the nickname but picked up her schedule and beaded bag, nodding, “Calm down, Sirius, we’re not going to be late.”

“Yeah, don’t mind him,” Remus smiled, “he’s just hasn't had breakfast yet.”

“Ok,” Hermione laughed, “Anyway, I have to go get my school stuff – Dumbledore said he put them in the dorm.” She was about to leave before she remembered that she wasn’t supposed to know her way around, “Could you guys show me where that is?”

“Sure,” said James, “But how about we go to breakfast first, ‘cause Pads over here would probably die of hunger.” He grinned slapping Sirius on the back, “Then, you can meet the girls and they can show you the dorm – boys can’t go into the girls’ rooms.”

“Not anymore, they can’t,” Sirius grumbled playfully, “ ‘cause you just _had_ to go up there to try and get Lily to pay attention to you.”

“That was _one_ time! You’ve gone up like a million times!”

“But the teachers don’t know, and that, my dear Prongs, is the difference between a bumbling idiot like you and a charming young man like me.”

Hermione laughed out loud; they reminded her so much of the Weasley Twins.

The four boys were a little surprised at her laughter, but Remus quickly said, “Okay guys, c’mon we’re going to miss breakfast if you keep at it.”

“Jeez, Moony,” Sirius grinned, “We’re going, we’re going. See?” He pointed at James who was practically pranced out the door.

As they settled down for breakfast, James turned and hollered down the table, “Lily! Will you come here for a second, please?”

“No, James!” Came the shout from the other end of the table.

“But it’s important,” he whined.

“Fine!”

With Lily came three other girls: Alice Fortescue, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadowes.

“This is Hermione,” James nodded at her, “She’s new – I was just wondering if you guys could take her to your dorm, ‘cause Dumbledore said her stuff was there, but, you know, we can’t go in.”

Lily smiled, “Sure, we’d love to.” She pointed at each girl, introducing them.

Lily was tall, had long, red hair, and bright green eyes. Alice had curly shoulder-length black hair and a soft face, and Hermione suddenly realized that she was looking at Neville's mum. Marlene had choppy blonde hair, winged eyeliner that accented her gray eyes, and bright red lipstick and nails. An unlit cigarette rested between her gleaming teeth. Hermione vaguely remembered that she had died during the First Wizarding War, and her stomach jolted at the thought. Dorcas had soft brown hair and eyes, and a sweet smile – Hermione remembered seeing a picture of her somewhere. _Merlin_ , Hermione thought, _this is going to be so weird. I’m going to school with the parents of all my friends._

They finished breakfast quickly and headed towards the Gryffindor dorms. As they went, Alice and Peter pointed out where different classes were. Remus said, “ _Ex Tempore,”_ as they got to the Fat Lady, “That’s the password, by the way.”

“I think she can tell,” Marlene teased him, as he blushed.

 _Out of time,_ Hermione quickly translated the password in her head, _that’s weird – it's like Hogwarts knows I’m here._

When they entered the common room, Hermione immediately felt at home; the place felt like home – it hadn’t changed one bit. She took a deep breath, the familiar smell of cinnamon wafted through the air, mixing with the light scent of parchment, ink, and the dying fire in the hearth. Lily led her up to the dorm and showed Hermione her bed for the year. Hermione quietly thanked her, and Lily, sensing that she needed a moment alone, said, “We’ll be waiting downstairs.”

Hermione sat down on the familiar bed – it was the same bed that she had slept in during her sixth year, _Funny how time works,_ she thought, her thoughts drifting back to the password. She closed her eyes, remembering all of the memories that had been made in this dorm, 20 years later. After a minute, she stood up and picked up her bag, shoving the books she needed for the day into it. When she went down, Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were waiting for her.

“Dorcas, Marlene, and Alice had Divination, which is one the other side of the castle, so they had to go, they said they’ll see us later,” Sirius explained.

“Okay,” Hermione nodded at him, and the six of them headed to their first class of the day, History of Magic.

**Hogwarts ~ The Potions Classroom**

“That was so boring, I almost fell asleep,” complained Remus as they walked to Potions, their next class.

“At least you didn’t fall asleep, mate,” Sirius laughed, “Prongs over here did, _and_ he drooled!”

“I did not!” Cried an indignant James.

“Yes, you did!”

“No!”

“Look here’s the paper!” Sirius pulled a piece of parchment out of his bag.

“Jeez, James, that’s gross,” said Lily, scrunching up her nose.

“Thanks, dude,” James said, rolling his eyes at Sirius.

“No problem, Prongs, I’m always here to help you with your love life.”

“More like ruin in, completely,” James grumbled.

“It’s ok James, you never had a chance anyway, drool or no drool,” Remus said calmly.

“Yeah,” agreed Lily, jokingly.

James looked crestfallen at this, but only Hermione seemed to notice, as the rest of the group continued talking like nothing happened. _I’m going to have to make sure that Lily and James get together. Maybe I could talk to James later, and tell him to stop being so obnoxious,_ Hermione remembered Sirius telling her in her 5th year, that the only reason it took Lily and James so long to get together was because James had been really over-the-top, and Lily wanted him to grow up a little.

As they took their seats in Potions, Professor Slughorn was writing on the board, “I am giving out a new project on the Polyjuice Potion. You must brew it and then write an essay about the ingredients used and how they affect the potion. You will be assigned partners. And, no, before you ask, there will be no trading, okay?”

With a flick of his wand, the board was covered with names. Another flick and they were all in pairs, “Find your partner and get started,” Slughorn called out, “It’s due in 2 and a half weeks.”

Hermione searched for her name on the board, eyes widening as she realized her partner was none other than Severus Snape.

“Who’d you get, ‘Mione?” Asked Sirius.

“Severus Snape.”

“Oh, damn. If Snivellus gives you any trouble, I’ll take care of him, okay?” Despite only knowing Hermione for just over a week, he already felt protective of her – and he knew that Remus and James did, too. _It’s weird,_ he thought to himself, _it’s like we know her already – like we’ve met before. But I_ know _we haven’t. None of has. I’m sure of it. Huh,_ Sirius had never felt like this before with anyone.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Sirius, but thank you.”

She made her way over to Snape and calmly introduced herself, “I’m Hermione Granger, we’re partners.”

He raised an eyebrow, “I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’m the one who fell from the ceiling on the first day of school. I’m a transfer from Beauxbatons.” Hermione tried to give a small smile, _Maybe I can help him, too. After all, he turned out to be on our side the whole time._

“Is that how transfer students usually enter the school?” He asked sarcastically.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Hermione shot back, “We like grand entrances. With lots of blood. And knives are always good, too.”

He had the decency to at least look a little ashamed, “Sorry,” he muttered.

Hermione gave him a strained smile, “It’s okay. Anyway, we should probably get started on this project. It looks interesting.”

“I don’t want you to screw up this potion.”

“I’m not going to.”

“Well, most people in this class are idiots. Idiots who are terrible at brewing.”

“I’ve made Polyjuice before.”

Snape raised an eyebrow, again.

“I brewed it in my second year.” She shot him a light glare, “Successfully.”

“Well, then.” He paused, “I guess you can help.”

“You’re damn right I can help. This is my project, too.”

“Okay, jeez.” He raised his hands in an _I surrender_ position, rolling his eyes.

Hermione tried not to laugh at the thought of her formidable Potions professor saying “jeez.”

The rest of potions passed quickly, with Hermione and Snape planning what they were going to do in the next 2 weeks.

**Hogwarts ~ The Library**

Instead of going to the Great Hall for Lunch after Arithmancy, she said goodbye to Remus (He was the only one in that class) and headed to the library – she needed to research the Destiny Turner. Hermione still hadn’t had any flashbacks, but according to the little she’d read about the turner before she was thrown back in time, the few people who had used it got their first flashbacks within a few days of being in the past.

Hermione found a book, _Lost in Time_ , that had a passage on the Destiny Turner. It read:

 _The Destiny Turner goes one year back for each turn. It works differently for each of its users. Some users find themselves with completely new pasts, with a different family, different friends, and different memories. There have only been two accounts of wizards who have lost their memories of their lives before going back in time. No one knows how many Turners there are, but they are highly sought after. Others only get a few memories of what “happened” in their new past, essentially keeping their original memories, with only enough new memories to cope with their new lives. Most people who have used the Destiny Turner have been sent back accidentally – it is well known that the Turner malfunctions quite easily; if any spell hits it, it will send the wearer back in time. The stronger, darker, or more complex the spell is, the further the wearer goes back. If potions are spilled on it, it will also malfunction – it also depends on the strength, the complexity, and the darkness. Say, if a simple_ Wingardium Leviosa _were performed on it, the wearer might go back only one or two years. If an Unforgivable Curse were performed on it, a person might go back 20 years. The furthest anyone has been known to go back was 107 years – they were sent back with a mixture of a dark potion and a curse. Another way the Destiny Turner would malfunction is if it is destroyed._

Hermione sighed – the book wasn’t much help – she knew pretty much everything that was in the passage. It didn’t matter anyway, she had to go back to class; Transfiguration was next. She was quite nervous for her next class, since it was taught by Professor McGonagall and she hadn’t really seen her in this time, yet (except for when she gave Hermione her schedule, but she hadn’t said anything except, “Here’s your timetable, Miss Granger.”)

She arrived a couple minutes early – the only other people in the room were a few Hufflepuffs. As she took a seat, Sirius came in and sat next to her, “Where were you during lunch?”

“Library,” came the response.

“You need to eat,” he chided.

“I did.”

“When?”

“During breakfast.”

Sirius sighed heavily but let the subject drop.

Professor McGonagall entered the room and gave them their assignment for the day, “Today we will be reviewing some basic concepts from your OWL Year that serve as a gateway to what we will be studying for NEWTS.” She handed out a worksheet and said, “Your partners will be who you are sitting with. When you are done, turn in your papers up front.”

Hermione and Sirius got to work, filling out the various questions about transfiguring live subjects. They finished faster than everyone else in the class, and Hermione offered to turn in their papers. She quietly stood and walked to the Professor’s desk at the front of the classroom, “Here are our papers, Professor.”

McGonagall looked up, green eyes sparkling in surprise that they had finished so quickly, “Thank you, Miss Granger.” Pausing, she added, “How are you doing?”

“I’m well, thank you. And yourself?”

“I’m well, too.” The Deputy Head gave her a rare smile.

Hermione tried to smile but it felt strained; seeing her beloved professor alive and well (quite unlike how she was the last time she saw her) was odd but reassuring to her. When Hermione had been in her third year, the stress of all the classes, plus fighting with Harry and Ron for a large part of the year had made her incredibly stressed. Her parents had never liked magic, and when she was 4 years old, she had her first incident with accidental magic. After this, they became scared of magic and began neglecting Hermione. After they found out she had been petrified during her second year, they became even more scared of her magic and the wizarding world – they didn’t say more than a few words to Hermione over the summer. They barely fed her, and she had to do all the chores around the house. When school started again, Hermione felt even more lonely and started to close herself off and distance herself from her friends. Minerva noticed, and had taken Hermione under her wing. However, when asked by Minerva, Albus thought that if the Grangers were brought to court, they would not be convicted since they clothed her, paid for her schooling, and hadn’t physically hurt her. Because Hermione couldn’t be taken out of their custody, Minerva couldn’t take any legal action against the Grangers, but she and Hermione were very close and had developed a mother-daughter relationship over the years. Luckily for Hermione, she spent almost all of her time at Hogwarts, and, after her 3rd year, she stayed with Minerva during the summer and all the other breaks.

And, the truth was, Hermione missed her a lot. _Oh well,_ Hermione thought, shaking her head, _there’s no use thinking of that anymore._

After Transfiguration, they went to Herbology, and after that, dinner.

Before dinner began, however, Dumbledore stood up, “I’d like to make an announcement.” The hall went silent, “We have a transfer student from Beauxbatons. Miss Hermione Granger, please stand up,” Hermione awkwardly stood up, looking around nervously, “She is a 7th year and has been sorted into Gryffindor. I expect that you will all treat her with the respect that she deserves. Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Granger.”

“Thank you, Headmaster.” Hermione sat down.

**Hogwarts ~ The Gryffindor Tower**

Dinner was over quickly, and they all went back to their common rooms. After chatting for a few hours (and Sirius and Peter playing Exploding Snap), Hermione stood up, “I’m rather tired, I’m going to go to bed.”

“Okay,” responded Sirius, his grey eyes sparkling as he watched Peter get covered with soot from the cards’ explosion, “Good night, Hermione, see you tomorrow morning.”

“Good night, Sirius. Good night guys.” She called out to the rest of the group as she left the common room and went to her dorm.

A chorus of goodnights followed her up the stairs, and as she got ready for bed, she began planning how to go about taking down Voldemort.

**Hogwarts ~ Gryffindor 7 th Year Boys’ Dorm**

Remus asked, “What the hell do you think happened to her?”

“I’ve got no idea,” Padfoot shook his head, “All I know is that it was awful.”

“Well, yeah, no shit,” James paused for a moment, “we should be her friends. She’s all alone here.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “That’s what we’re doing. Bit slow, huh, Prongs?”

“No,” James exaggerated a sigh, “I meant that we should, like, take care of her.”

“Yes, James, I’m sure a fully grown woman will like that,” Remus shook his head.

“Ugh! You guys are stupid! I meant as in we should be there for her, and stuff. I dunno.”

Remus grinned, “Yeah, Prongs, we know what you mean. We were just pulling your leg.”

Sirius nodded, trying and failing (miserably) to keep a straight face, “You’re an idiot!”

James rolled his eyes.

Remus shook his head in exasperation.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, shrugging.

Peter stayed quiet, thinking, _if we get close to her, there will be more to report to the Dark Lord._

**A/N: How was it? Review pretty please :)**


	6. it wasn't enough

**September 16, 1977**

**Hogwarts ~ The Library**

**3 rd Person POV:**

Hemione sighed, hitching her bag up on her shoulder. She was skipping lunch again – NEWT year was a lot of work, and she also had to research time travel and try to figure out what to do about Voldemort. Currently, she was headed to the Library to work with Snape on the Potions project. As she entered the library, she noticed two things: 1) The three Slytherins huddled in the corner and 2) Peter standing with them. Snape wasn’t there yet, but that was a good thing, in this case. Hermione quietly walked down the aisle next to where the four students were whispering. She paused to listen when she was behind them.

She recognized Rodolphus Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy, but when she saw the face of the third person, her breathing hitched, and bile rose in her throat. It was Bellatrix. She shook her head; _you can’t do anything about what she did to you. Just focus on what they’re saying._

“The meeting is on the 21st. Don’t be late,” Rodolphus hissed.

“B-but what if-” Peter was cut off by Bellatrix.

“There are no what ifs.” She glared at him, and he shrunk back, “You already made your decision. You joined. I suggest you be there. The Dark Lord doesn’t give second chances.”

“O-Okay.” Peter whispered; his voice quavered.

“Good,” Lucius said. “Make sure not to tell anyone. Meet us at the gates at 7:00 sharp. Make sure your excuse for leaving is good. We can’t have anyone suspecting anything.”

Peter nodded timidly, and the Slytherins left the library, leaving him alone.

Hermione couldn’t help but be disappointed – Peter hadn’t really seemed like a Death Eater, _you couldn’t have helped him, anyway._ A voice in her head reminded her, _it’s only the second week of school, and if he’s already hanging out with Death Eaters, then he had to have been doing it since before you came back in time._ Hermione sighed, but it made sense.

Hermione was pulled from her thoughts as Peter, too, left the library. She sighed, walked over to an empty table, and got out some books and parchment to begin her essay. After all, Snape was late, and she wanted to get at least half of the essay done before Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was next. A few minutes later, Snape rushed in. She looked up and raised an eyebrow – he was usually on time.

“McGonagall kept me late,” he muttered.

“In trouble?” She grinned up at him.

He shook his head, “No, just a question about my essay.”

In the past week, they had struck up a tentative acquaintanceship. It was a sort of mutual respect for each other. They were both smart, and somewhat (though Snape wouldn’t admit it and Hermione didn’t want to make him uncomfortable) enjoyed each other's company and intellect.

**The Great Hall ~ Lunch**

“I wonder where Hermione is,” said Sirius.

“Yeah,” agreed James, “and Peter, where’s he been going to off to?”

Remus nodded, “Ever since school started, we’ve just been seeing less and less of him. Not to mention, we barely saw him over the summer. That was definitely weird.”

Lily and Dorcas went and sat down with the boys.

“Hey, Lils, do you know where Hermione went? She just disappeared after Arithmancy,” Remus asked.

“I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, I’d say that she’s in the library. She spends lots of time in there.”

“Yeah,” nodded Dorcas, “I saw her go in there when I was leaving Divination. She’s probably gone to work on her Potions project.”

Sirius frowned. He didn’t really like the idea of Hermione hanging out with Snape all alone. He could hurt her, _or something,_ he thought. He knew he was being irrational, but he couldn’t help the protective feeling he got when he was around her. He stood up and excused himself.

“Padfoot! Where’re you going?” James questioned.

“Bathroom,” he muttered. He was not going to the bathroom. Instead, he was going to the library to check up on Hermione. Lunch ended in ten minutes, and they had Defense next, so, he figured he could just act like he was picking Hermione up.

He walked to the library quickly, after all, he hadn’t had a chance to _really_ talk to her in a few days. As he entered, he walked along the aisles, looking for Hermione and Snape. Sirius heard quiet laughter coming from one of the tables in the corner. Peeking around the corner, he was shocked to find the two of them laughing at something. He had no idea what it was, but he was suddenly jealous of Snape. _How dare he go hanging out with her and making her laugh? He was Snivellus for gods’ sake! He was a sneaky, slimy, greasy-haired git!_

He took a deep breath and walked over to them, trying to play it cool, even though he was practically boiling inside, “Hey Hermione, Defense starts in a few minutes, we should get going,” he tried to ignore Snape.

“Okay,” she agreed, packing up, “Severus why don’t you walk with us? You’ve got DADA, too.”

He looked reluctant but was about to respond when Sirius’ jealousy got the better of him, “Well, Snivellus, you gotta wash your hair before you walk with us. I don’t need the greasiness getting to me.”

“Sirius!” Cried Hermione, “That was completely unnecessary!” Snape had finished packing up his things and was leaving when Hermione called out, “Hold on, Severus, I’m coming with you.” She shot a warning glare at Sirius before leaving, “I’ll see you later.”

They walked in silence before Severus spoke up, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did, he was being rude for absolutely no reason. No one deserves that.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he muttered.

She stopped walking, and pulled him back, noticing as he jumped at the contact, “Yes, Severus, it is a big deal. I hate bullies. And if Sirius wants to be my friend, then he _has_ to understand that I will not tolerate it when he bullies people. I don’t know why he said what he did, but whatever it was, the reason does not make it acceptable. Nothing makes what he did okay. Got it?”

“We’re not even really friends or anything. Why do you care?”

“I don’t know why I do,” _that’s a lie,_ thought Hermione, _I know exactly why: because I know that you’re good at heart, and I know that I can help you,_ “but we’re acquaintances, I suppose, and I enjoy spending time with you – I want to help you. I want to be friends with you.”

Severus was rendered speechless by this – no one since Lily had ever really wanted to be friends with him – just Malfoy and Lestrange asking him to join You-Know-Who. He had said no because he knew that Lily would never want him to join and because he knew what they did (or, he knew enough, anyway). He couldn’t help but wonder if Hermione was lying when she said she wanted to be friends.

When he could finally talk, the first thing that flew out of his mouth was, “Are you lying?”

Hermione didn’t look surprised at his question, “No, Severus, I’m not lying – give me one good reason to lie to you.”

“I-I don’t know.” He looked down at the floor, trying to ignore the heat spreading in his cheeks.

“Exactly.”

“It’s just,” he paused, and she looked at him expectantly, “no one – no one wants to be my friend,” shock filled his eyes when he realized that he had said that out loud – he hadn’t meant to.

To his surprise, Hermione smiled gently, “Well then they’re just missing out. Sure, you can be mean and snarky sometimes, but you’re also, uh, funny, caring, and smart.” He raised an eyebrow at her, and she grinned, “It’s true!”

“Okay, sure.”

She laughed, and he couldn’t help laughing a little, too. It felt good. It had been a long time since he had been genuinely happy. _Friends,_ he thought to himself, _that’s nice, I suppose._

When they got to the classroom, they said goodbye to each other, deciding to meet the next week to finish their project. Hermione walked in and took a seat next to Sirius, who was surprised that she was sitting next to him.

“You need to apologize to Severus.”

“What? No way!”

“Sirius, I mean it. What you said was unacceptable, and he didn’t even do anything to you!”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh, yeah? What’d he do?”

Sirius paused. He couldn’t very well tell her that he was jealous, “I-I-You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“I-I just-”

Luckily for him, their Defense professor, Professor Donovan, walked in at that very moment, “Good afternoon, class. Today, we will be learning how to duel.”

Gasps of excitement came from around the room, and James leaned forward, nudging Sirius, “This should be fun!”

The professor waited for the class to quiet down before speaking again, “Alastor Moody is here to help teach you,” he smiled a little when more gasps filtered through the room.

At that moment, Moody himself walked through the doors, slamming them as he went. The class stared, wide-eyed, as he stalked to the front of the room and growled out, “Dueling is dangerous. We live in dangerous times, and therefore you need to learn how to duel. Many of you will fight in this upcoming war, and you need to be prepared.”

The class stared, wide-eyed, at his bluntness.

He proceeded to show them different spells and incantations that were most useful. Then, he and Professor Donovan demonstrated how to move during a duel to avoid being hit.

“Alright everyone, partner up!” The Professor called out, “You’ll duel against your partners!”

Sirius turned to Hermione, “Wanna be partners?”

“Okay,” she agreed, “but you have to apologize to Severus later. _And_ , it has to be genuine.”

“Fine.”

They practiced for a bit, and Hermione let Sirius win – she didn’t want to show off her dueling skills and draw unwanted attention to herself – yet.

After a little while, Donovan called the class to order, “We will now have a dueling ‘tournament,’ of a sort, so you can show what you’ve learned and so we can help correct what you do.”

Moody stood up, “Let’s start with you,” he pointed at Remus, “and you,” he pointed at Lucius Malfoy.

“You got this, mate,” James encouraged him, while Sirius glared daggers at Malfoy.

The two stood at the front of the room, wands at the ready.

“3...2...1!”

“Levicorpus!” Cried Remus.

Malfoy dodged, shooting back, “Serpensortia!”

“Vipera evanesca!” The snake disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“Rictumsepra!”

Remus leaped out of the way, “Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus!”

Malfoy quickly found himself wandless and, on the floor, with the Gryffindors clapping for Remus.

“Good job, Lupin,” the Professor praised him.

“Next up,” Moody glanced around the room, “Mr. Black.” Sirius walked to the front of the room, grinning at Remus. “3...2...1!” Alastor called out.

“Tarantallegra!” Called out Sirius.

Immediately, Remus started dancing, but he managed to call out, “Locomotor Mortis!”

Sirius suddenly felt his legs lock together and tried to remember the counter curse, but he couldn’t. Meanwhile, Remus was also trying to remember the counter for the Tarantallegra, and the whole class was laughing. They looked rather stupid standing (and dancing) at the front of the classroom.

“Alright,” Professor Donovan laughed, “Enough, let’s choose some new people.” He countered both spells and both boys went back to their seats.

Moody looked around the room, his eyes falling on Hermione, “You,” he pointed a gnarled finger at her, “and you.”

Hermione turned to see who else he had picked and was froze when she saw it was Bellatrix. _No, No, No! I can’t do this!_ She shook her head of those thoughts, replacing them, _yes you can, Hermione. This time, you have a wand on you, and it’s just you and her – no one else._

Sirius opened his mouth to say something to Hermione, not liking the idea of his crazy cousin dueling her, but Hermione just waved him off, “It’ll be fine.” He was still nervous, though. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. Sirius was still rather confused about his feelings for her – it was undeniable that there was a crush growing, but what about how he, Remus, and James felt like they knew her from before?

The two stood at the front of the room, facing off, Bellatrix with an evil smile and Hermione with a straight face.

“3...2...1!”

“Expelliarmus!” Cried Hermione.

Bella dodged and yelled, “Confundo!”

It missed Hermione by an inch, and she called out, “Stupefy! Incarcerous!”

Bellatrix was wrapped up in rope for only a moment and she vanished them quickly, “You’ll pay for that, mudblood! Furnunculus!”

Hermione cocked her head to the side in a challenge and took this as an invitation to show what she could really do, spell after spell shot out of her wand and she used her left hand to perform wandless magic. Bellatrix only managed to get one more spell in, but unluckily for Hermione, it hit her. “Expelliarmus!” Hermione was now wandless, and the class expected the duel to end, but instead she continued, now using both hands to perform wandless magic. To be honest, she preferred wandless magic because the magic flew more freely.

Bellatrix immediately regretted having disarmed her for the spells came at greater force and speed now. She was hanging from the ceiling, bound in rope, and with birds flying around her head. She struggled to get down, beginning to untie the rope, but before she could, Hermione engulfed her in a huge ball of water, (quite like she had seen Dumbledore do at the Department of Mysteries at the end of her 5th year) bringing her down from the ceiling and spinning the ball around in the air for a full minute and a half before releasing her magic.

Bellatrix lay on the floor, soaked to the bone and gasping for breath, you could see where the birds had pecked her and even a few marks from the ropes.

The class was dead silent.

It took Professor Donovan and Alastor a minute to find the words they were looking for.

“That was,” the teacher searched for the right word, “impressive, Miss Granger.”

“Yes, it was,” agreed Moody, glaring at her, “You must have had a good teacher.”

“Oh, I did.” _It was you, Mad-eye,_ “One of the best I ever had.”

“Alright, class dismissed,” called out the Professor.

“You can apologize to Severus tomorrow,” Hermione told Sirius as they left the classroom. The boys were still in shock, but Hermione was talking about something that happened in Herbology – completely oblivious to how surprised they were at her abilities.

“Uh, Hermione?” Asked James.

“Yeah?”

“How can you duel so well?”

She shrugged, “I first learned to duel when I was 15, and I’ve had a lot of training and practice since then.”

“Practice?” Questioned Remus.

“Like, real life practice?” Added Sirius.

“Yep,” she said, popping the p.

“Did you win a lot?”

“I won plenty of times.” She paused, her expression turning sad, “But not enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I needed to win the most, I lost,” she thought back to when she was separated from Harry and Ron. When they were losing the battle. She hadn’t seen the end of it, but she knew they would have lost. _It was lucky_ , she thought, _that she had been sent back earlier than she had planned –_ now she would have more time to change everything. Harry would have his parents, Sirius wouldn’t spend 13 years in Azkaban, and Remus would never have to be alone again.

**A/N: How was it? Comment pretty please :)**


	7. what parents are for

**September 19, 1977**

**Hogwarts ~ The Transfiguration Classroom**

**3 rd Person POV:**

***Trigger Warning: Abuse***

It was Monday, and Hermione was _not_ in a good mood. She had woken up at 3:00 in the morning from nightmares, and she hadn’t been able to go back to sleep after that. Instead, Hermione had gone to the library and tried to research more about the Destiny Turner, but she hadn’t found anything. Afterwards, she went to the Room of Requirement for the first time since she had gone back in time. Over the weekend, she had made a list of things she had to do in this time:

  1. _Join the Order_
  2. _Become friends with Marauders (not Peter), Lily, Severus, and Regulus – earn their trust_
  3. _Try to reconcile Sirius and Regulus_
  4. _Try to reconcile Severus and Lily_
  5. _Get Lily and James together_
  6. _Expose Peter (at some point, it doesn’t have to be this month) (will he be useful?)_
  7. _Get diadem {and secure it in a safe place}_
  8. _Get diary (Malfoy Manor? Or their vaults?)_
  9. _Get ring (Gaunt Shack)_
  10. _Get locket (with Regulus)_
  11. _Get cup (Bellatrix’s vault?) (vault number ~ 711)_
  12. **_Don’t get caught!_**



Hermione decided that she would try to find at least one horcrux a month. Hermione thought it would be easiest to find the diadem first, since it was hidden in Hogwarts. However, the room was so big, and she only had time to search a small part of it – her attempts had been fruitless, so far. She remembered that it had sat on top of a bust, but she couldn’t find it anywhere.

Then, instead of going down to breakfast, she had taken a walk along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hermione had come across some Thestrals and had spent the remainder of the morning with them, promising to return after dinner. As she headed to her last class of the day, she thought, _Jeez, Hermione, you must really be losing it if you’re talking to Thestrals, now._ Hermione had found the animals comforting, though – they were gentle and sweet, and they reminded her of Luna and the other friends she had lost, but not in a sad way; more bittersweet. She had relished in that feeling; being with the Thestrals made her feel better.

Hermione got to Transfiguration and took a seat in the middle of the classroom, avoiding eye contact with her professor. She was starting to worry when class started and neither Sirius, Remus, nor James were there yet. Just as McGonagall started talking, the three barged into the room, “We’re here! Don’t worry!” Cried Sirius taking his seat next to Hermione, who rolled her eyes.

“That’s wonderful,” Minerva replied dryly, but Hermione could tell she was trying not to smile.

“It is, isn’t it, Minnie?” James grinned.

She shook her head in exasperation and turned to the rest of the class, giving them the assignment for the day, “Today, you will be filling out a packet on the steps to successfully transfigure multiple objects at once. Turn them in at my desk,” she paused and as an afterthought, added, “and please, do not forget your name and the date. I know that it’s the beginning of the school year, but it’s quite annoying, and if you do forget, I’m going to give you only half credit.”

Hermione sighed to herself, _this day just keeps getting longer,_ apparently, however, she had said this aloud, and the Professor had heard, “Miss Granger.”

She jumped in her seat, “Yes, Professor?”

“It’ll be an even longer day if you keep that attitude up because I will not hesitate to give you a detention.”

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Hermione felt like crying – she missed her the Minerva from her time desperately.

Minerva’s face softened when she saw Hermione’s expression, and she gave her a small smile when she handed her the packet.

Hermione kept her head down for the rest of the class, working quietly and not talking to anyone until she had finished, “Hey Sirius?” She tapped on his shoulder, and he looked up.

“Yeah?”

“What’s the date?”

“Wow, are you done already?” She nodded, and he replied, “It’s September 19th.”

He watched as all the color drained from her face, and she stammered, “A-Are you sure?”

“Yeah, pretty sure. I mean, yesterday was the 18th, so today’s gotta be the 19th.”

“O-Okay,” Hermione’s hands were trembling and as she turned to write the date on her parchment, she knocked over the ink bottle. The ink got all over her and Sirius’ papers, and all over the desk. She looked up, horrorstruck as McGonagall made her way over, waving her wand to clean up the mess, “I-I’m sorry Professor, I didn’t mean to-”

Minerva cut her off, “That’s alright, Miss Granger, just see me after class.”

The class murmured in surprise – the Deputy Headmistress rarely punished people for small things – and Hermione had barely done anything.

Class ended sooner than Hermione thought possible, and she soon found herself standing in front of McGonagall’s desk as the teacher graded papers. She seemed to have forgotten that Hermione was still there until Hermione whispered, “Professor?”

She looked up, “Miss Granger? Can I help you?”

“Um, you asked me to see you after class.”

Realization filtered over Minerva’s face, and she nodded, “Yes, of course, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a big deal. So, um, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Why don’t you come into my office.”

Hermione followed her into the familiar office, feeling the tears well up as she saw the familiar walls. The exact same, except these didn’t have any pictures of the two of them. She fought the melancholic feelings creeping up her throat and took a seat across the Professor’s desk.

“Are you feeling alright, Miss Granger?”

“Yes, o-of course.” It felt like she was being choked.

“Are you sure? Because you can talk to me if anything’s going on - I understand how scary it must be in a completely different time, but you’re not alone.”

Hermione was silent.

“What’s going on,” Minerva tried again.

“It’s my birthday.” Hermione trailed off at the end, as tears threatened to take over.

“Happy birthday, then, Miss Granger,” Minerva was rather confused.

“Thank you, I suppose.”

“What’s wrong with your birthday?”

“I forgot.”

“Ah, I see,” and Minerva did see – there was no one in this time to wish her, or for her to celebrate with, she felt alone and lonely, “well then let’s celebrate, shall we?”

“I-I-What?”

“It’s your birthday, so we should celebrate,” she repeated.

“I-I can’t,” she murmured.

“Why ever not?”

“I have, uh, work to do.”

“Surely it can wait for your birthday?”

 _No,_ Hermione thought, _it can’t, and I can’t get close to you, or else I'll probably ruin everything. I’m not even supposed to be that close to anyone – including the Marauders. And Severus._ Her heart clenched at the thought.

“Miss Granger?” When the girl didn’t respond, Minerva tried her first name, “Hermione?”

Hermione jumped about three feet in her chair when she heard Minerva use her first name, “Y-yes?”

“You may leave if you wish, but I want you to know that my door is always open to you.”

That was all it took for the dam to break. Suddenly, to Minerva’s shock, Hermione was sobbing, covering her face with her hands.

“What’s wrong?”

Hermione only cried harder.

“Please, child, tell me what’s going on.”

“I-I just – I just,” she found herself unable to explain, and Minerva led her into her quarters, sitting her down on one of the couches.

When the young woman saw where she was, she only cried harder.

 _What is going on?_ Minerva felt helpless, until she realized that Albus would probably be able to help. She hurriedly flooed him, telling him to come over immediately.

After a minute, the Headmaster stepped through the fireplace, “What’s the matter, dear?”

Minerva gave him a warning look, nodding at the still sobbing Hermione.

 _Oops,_ he mouthed. Albus sat down next to the student, “Hermione?”

“Head-Headmaster?”

“What’s happened?”

“It’s my birthday.”

“Well congratulations, then,” his eyes twinkled, “I didn’t know that one’s birthday was something to cry about. Have I been doing it wrong all these years?”

Hermione laughed a little, her tears slowly beginning to dry up.

“Now,” said Albus, “what’s the matter? Other than your birthday, of course.”

She paused, trying to find a way to word it, “I’m-Uh-I just miss my mother.”

Albus studied her for a moment, “We could find a way for you to meet her without them knowing.”

She gave an odd laugh, “I have met her.”

Minerva quirked an eyebrow at this, she hadn’t left the castle since her arrival, “But- Aren’t you muggleborn?”

She looked at Minerva, “Yes, I am. Well, I suppose I haven’t met my birth mother. But I have met the woman I consider to be my mother. You see, my parents didn’t like magic – my biological parents. They – well, they ignored me most of the time, but they technically didn’t break any laws so I couldn’t be taken out of their custody. When I was at Hogwarts, in my time, well-uh, this woman took me under her wing, and we became rather close. For all intents and purposes, she was my mother, and I was her daughter.”

“Ah,” said Albus, nodding, “I see.”

“Are they students right now?” Questioned Minerva.

She gave a funny smile, “No, they aren’t.”

“But…But that would mean it’s a professor.”

“You are correct.”

Minerva took a seat in surprise, “Who is it?”

Hermione looked to Albus, and he nodded, “You can tell us, I don’t think it will change anything.”

“Are you sure?” She looked concerned.

“Yes, I mean – why not?” Replied Minerva.

“O-Okay.” She took a deep breath. looking down at her hands, “It, uh, it was you, Professor McGonagall. When you found out about my situation with my parents, you, well, uh, you took care of me and, you know, stuff.” Hermione trailed off, not knowing what to say.

They were both shocked, clearly – neither of them said anything, and after a few minutes of no response, Hermione stood up, “Well-um, I’ll be going. I-I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry. Just-Just forget about what I said. I’m sorry for taking up your time, Professor. Goodbye.”

By the time Minerva found her voice to call her back, she had left.

“We ought to find her – you should tell her that you were just really shocked,” said Albus, standing.

“Yes,” his closest friend agreed, “you’re right.

Neither of them moved until Minerva broke the silence, “A daughter, Albus. I-I had a daughter. I’ve always wanted a child. Can you believe it?”

“I can,” he smiled, “you would – and will – make a wonderful mother.”

Minerva looked at him nervously whispered, “Oh, I hope I can make things alright with her.” She paused, “Merlin, what if I’m a terrible mother? What if-”

Albus cut her off, “Nonsense, Minerva, you’ll do just fine. Besides, she is a fully grown woman now, she will only need your guidance and love. You won’t be changing nappies, or any of that.” He smirked playfully.

Minerva rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh, before saying, “We need to find her before anything happens.”

Albus nodded, and they set out, “Where do you think she would have gone?”

“I don’t know.” They walked along in silence for a moment before Minerva saw Peeves up ahead, “Peeves! Have you seen Miss Granger?”

“Yes! Peeves saw her running outside just a minute ago! She was cryin’ like a baby!” He cackled and zoomed away.

Minerva and Albus cast each other worried looks and hurried outside. It was raining and Albus cast warming and drying charms over both of them so they wouldn’t get wet.

“I hope she doesn’t catch a cold,” muttered Minerva.

The Headmaster nodded – Hermione was nowhere in sight, “Do you think she could be in the forest?”

Minerva looked worried, “Maybe. We should probably check.”

They hurried along the edge of the forest, keeping an eye out for Hermione. After 20 minutes of looking, they were about to go back inside the castle when they came across a clearing full of thestrals. In the center stood Hermione, petting one and talking to it softly. She was soaked from the rain and was still crying; the thestral was gently butting its head on her shoulder and she broke down, wrapping her arms around its neck and sobbing, “She doesn’t want me. She doesn’t want me anymore. Hell, she doesn’t even know me. I don’t have anyone.” The thestral neighed softly; a comforting sound to Hermione, “I’m all alone again.” She cried even harder, “I don’t want to be alone.”

Minerva’s heart broke at the young woman’s words, and she quietly walked over to her, “Hermione,” she murmured, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Hermione jumped at the touch and looked at Minerva, wide-eyed and in shock.

“I’m sorry, Hermione, I was just shocked – after all, I had thought that I would never have children,” she paused, “I had given up hope. And the thought that I did – I would – have a child came as a surprise to me.”

“It’s okay,” muttered Hermione, wiping away her tears quickly, “It’s not that big of a deal, it’s okay if you don’t want me. I-I understand.” After all, Minerva hadn’t said anything about wanting to keep her. _Well, not keep. Just love, I suppose_ , thought Hermione, sighing to herself, _I_ am _a fully grown woman, now._ She gave a small sigh.

“No, Hermione,” Minerva gently turned Hermione towards her, cradling her face, “I do want you. I can’t guarantee I will make a good parent, but I can guarantee that I will try – I’ll try my best. I promise.”

Minerva hugged Hermione, who immediately relaxed when she felt the familiar warmth and comfort radiating from her mother. As they walked back to the castle, Albus had an idea, “Hermione, maybe you could show Minerva of your memories to help her understand what happened between you and your parents. Plus, it would show her how things were between the two of you.” He paused, thinking, “Oh! I bet I was the best uncle!” Albus grinned excitedly as Minerva rolled her eyes.

Hermione let out a watery laugh, “Yeah, you were the best,” she paused, her face falling a little bit, “but if I showed you my memories, then I would have to show you things that happen in the future.”

“I think it’ll be alright,” replied Minerva, “It’ll only be the Albus and I, and we won't talk about it with anyone else.”

“Yes,” agreed Albus, “I think it’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” smiled Hermione as they made it to Albus’ office.

“Do you want to show them to us today?” He asked.

“Um, I-I guess I can show you a few today, but I’d like a few days after that to gather them and figure out what’s most important and what I want to show you.”

“That makes sense,” agreed Minerva.

Albus waved his wand at a cabinet and the pensieve slowly emerged, “Whenever you’re ready, Hermione.”

The young woman nodded and took a deep breath, pulling out her wand and extracting the first few memories: Her first bought of accidental magic – when the abuse first began.

Hermione slowly deposited the silver liquid into the basin, trying not to let her hands shake.

“Are you ready?” Asked Albus.

Hermione swallowed hard and nodded.

The three put their heads in and landed in the Grangers’ spotless living room, 6 years later. _It was Hermione’s birthday; her presents and a stack of pancakes sat on the coffee table. Her parents were sitting on the couch, cups of coffee in both of their hands – waiting for Hermione. A little girl with brown, frizzy hair and buck teeth bounded down the stairs, a big smile on her face, “Hey Mum! Hi Dad!”_

_Her father smiled at her, “Hey kiddo, Happy birthday!”_

_“Happy Birthday, baby!” Her mum engulfed the small child in a warm hug._

_“Thanks, mum, dad,” Hermione grinned._

_“Presents or breakfast, first?” Daniel, “Dan,” Granger as he pulled his daughter onto his lap._

_“Uhhh,” Hermione thought for a moment, “can I do both?!”_

_“Okay,” her parents laughed, smiling at her enthusiasm._

Minerva turned to the 19 year old Hermione, “How old were you turning?”

“Four,” Hermione kept her eyes on the scene before them.

“You were very well spoken.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said quietly.

Minerva wondered what had happened to make Hermione’s parents hate magic. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and turned back to the scene before them, watching silently as the younger Hermione reached for her first present. _She ripped off the wrapping paper, giggling in delight when she saw a stack of books that she had seen in the bookstore just a few weeks ago._

_“Thanks, mum! Thank you, daddy!”_

_“You’re welcome, honey,” they chorused._

_Hermione reached for the plate of pancakes, standing up with them in one hand and a book in her other, she shakily made her way over to the couch and as she was about to sit down between her parents, the plate slipped from her hands. Her parents simultaneously winced, waiting for the crash of the plate and the mess of the syrup, but instead, the stayed in the air, levitating in the air. The older Grangers froze, watching in shock as their young daughter stood with her hands outstretched, seeming to control the plate. Hermione looked as shocked as they were. Her hands shook for a moment, and the plate fell to the floor, shattered._

_Time seemed to freeze as Jean and Dan stared at their child._

_“Hermione,” Jean finally spoke up, “go to your room. We will talk to you later.”_

_Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, and she ran upstairs._

_Dan exploded the moment they heard Hermione’s door close, “What the hell was that?!”_

_“I have no idea!”_

_“Has this ever happened before?”_

_“I’ve never seen it happen before! Do you think Hermione’s been hiding it?”_

_“She’s four years old, for God’s sake, Jean, be reasonable!”_

_“Well, maybe we should just ask her!”_

_The couple argued for a few more minutes before calling Hermione down, “Hermione, have you ever down that before?” Jean asked._

_Hermione trembled and opened her mouth to answer, but she didn’t say anything._

_Dan reached for her, and a loud crack filled the air. He flinched, and next thing the Grangers knew, Hermione was standing on the other side of the room, crying._

_“What the fuck?!” Dan roared, “Hermione get over here! What was that?”_

_“I-I don’t know, daddy.” Hermione shook visibly._

Minerva winced, looking at the older Hermione, who stood beside her, jaw clenched, her hands in fists, watching the scene with a blank expression.

_Jean stepped towards her daughter, “What is going on, Hermione? Have you done these things before?”_

_“I-I-”_

_“Answer your mother!” said Dan, his voice dangerously low._

_Hermione cried even harder, “Yes,” came the whisper from the child._

_“Yes, what?”_

_“I-I have done these things before.”_

_“Why didn’t you tell us!” Cried Jean._

_“I-I…I don’t know.”_

_“Goddammit!” Hermione’s father yelled, slamming his hand on the kitchen counter._

The scene before Albus, Minerva, and the older Hermione was swept away, only to be replaced by one that took place a few months later.

_Hermione stood on a stool, cleaning the dishes, Jean and Dan whispering behind her._

_“We should have figured this out months ago.” Jean muttered._

_“Yeah,” her husband agreed._

_“I just can’t believe it.”_

_Dan nodded._

_Since Hermione’s 4 th birthday, the incidents with accidental magic had increased substantially, and the fact that her parents had begun to ignore her only made it worse. It was obvious from the clothes that Hermione wore – they were dirty and some of them were torn. She was also a lot skinnier, and her eyes had lost their sparkle. The Grangers might not have hurt her physically, but they had clearly been neglecting her._

A moment later, Albus, Hermione, and Minerva were swept away. Different memories flashed before their eyes: _Hermione being starved, Hermione crying, Hermione being locked in a closet._ The memories continued for another few minutes before Albus turned to the older Hermione, and when he saw the tears streaming down her face, and he knew it was time to leave. Even though what had happened with her parents happened years ago, it still hurt to see the two people who were supposed to love her the most treat her like dirt. He grabbed both witches’ arms and took them back to his office.

Immediately, Minerva pulled the younger woman into her arms, cradling her and stroking her hair, “Shhh, Hermione, it’s going to be okay, everything’s going to be alright.”

Hermione clung to Minerva’s robes, it felt like forever since her mother had hugged her.

“Hermione,” Minerva tilted Hermione’s tear-stained face towards her, “how old were you when you started staying with me?”

“14.”

“My god,” whispered Minerva, _she had to suffer for 10 years before anyone helped her._

Albus wrapped his arms around both women, “Hermione, if you want, she might be able to adopt you in this time. It might be hard, though, since you don’t have any records out here. However, I want you to know, even if Minerva can’t adopt you, you will still have a family here.”

Hermione looked up, wiping the remainder of her tears away, “That’s okay, you don’t have to adopt me. As much as I would like it to be legal, there would be too many complications – I don’t want a lot of attention.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Minerva smiled.

“B-But I still want you to be, my, uh, mum,” she added hurriedly.

“Of course, dear,” Minerva kissed her daughters’ forehead, hugging her even tighter.

“Thank you,” whispered Hermione, her voice dying down at the end.

“That’s what parents – and uncles – are for,” Albus grinned, his eyes twinkling.

Hermione stayed with her mum and Albus for the next few hours, talking about things that had happened in the past.

After they had eaten dinner in Albus’ living room, Hermione remembered how much homework she had, “Minerva, Albus, thank you so much for everything, but I have a lot of homework, and as much as I hate to go, I have to.”

“Okay, darling,” Minerva pulled her into another hug, and Albus kissed her temple as he said his goodbyes.

“I’ll see you later,” Hermione called out as she left their rooms, “goodbye!”

As she walked back to the Gryffindor common room, she couldn’t help but smile – she was going to have her mum in this time! It had been a pretty good birthday. She wasn’t going to be alone, and it made her feel like everything would turn out for the better.

**A/N: How was it? Comment pretty please :)**

**Also, sorry about the ending, it’s kind of abrupt but I just wanted to upload the chapter.**


	8. a surprising encounter

**September 21, 1977**

**The Great Hall ~ Dinner**

**3 rd Person POV:**

Hermione glanced at her watch, _6:47 pm._ She glanced at Peter, who was nervously picking at his food. The buzz of the Great Hall surrounded her, enveloping her in its warm embrace. _Home._ It had been a long time since she felt safe.

Three minutes passed, and Peter stood up.

“Pete! Where’re you off to?” Cried Sirius, looking up at him.

“Bathroom - I-I don’t feel too good. Might go to the Hospital Wing. I don’t know how long I-I’ll be.”

“’Kay,” nodded James, turning back to his food.

Only Hermione remained staring at him. He caught her cold stare and flinched, hurrying away. She only raised an eyebrow and watched as he walked out of the Great Hall. Hermione decided that she could go for a walk later – while she waited for the meeting with Voldemort to end – and then she would confront Peter. _Or something like that – I don’t want him or anyone else to suspect too much about what I know._

“Hermione?” Sirius waved a hand in front of her face.

“Huh?” Hermione startled.

“Dinner’s over, c’mon,” he grinned at her.

Hermione glanced around, seeing the hall emptying out, “Oh, yeah,” she gave him a sheepish grin and followed him back to the Gryffindor common room.

Remus and Sirius played chess, Lily and Marlene were finishing their History of Magic homework, and James was watching Lily with a wistful expression. Hermione was curled up on the couch, book in her hand, watching Sirius’ and Remus’ game with an amused expression.

James sighed, still looking at Lily, and Hermione glanced at him, beckoning him over. He sat down next to her on the couch, “What’s up?”

“Wanna know how to get Lily?”

His eyes widened, and he nodded in excitement.

“Okay, then. Listen up – and you _have_ to do exactly what I say, or it won’t work.”

Another nod from James.

“Stop acting so obnoxious around her – I understand that you really like her, but when you act like a child, there’s less of a chance that she will like you back.” James opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione held up her hand to stop him, “Lay off asking her out – just hang out with her some,” she paused, “like study with or something – go for a walk. Talk to her – show her that you can be mature and understanding. Be nice to Snape, for gods’ sake – you know she doesn’t like it when you’re rude to him. Then, after a few weeks, ask her out to Hogsmeade. _Nicely_. And in _private_. No yelling across the Great Hall. Got it?”

James nodded, “Will it really work?”

Hermione smiled at him, “Of course it will, but you can’t mess up.”

“Okay! I promise I won’t! Thank you so much, Hermione!”

“No problem.”

James leaned forward and pulled Hermione into a hug. He couldn’t help but notice how she flinched and stiffened at first, before finally relaxing after a few seconds. _What happened to her?_ He wanted to ask her so badly, he but had a feeling that she wouldn’t want to answer any questions right then and there, with everyone around and all. _After all, it’s only been a few weeks since she came here._

Hermione gave a little sigh of content in James’ arms. _He hugs just like Harry._ She felt the tears welling up in her eyes, and a sob beginning to make its way up her throat. _No, I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry._ Hermione swallowed thickly, fighting down the tears as James looked at her, worried, “Hermione, what’s wrong?”

At his words, Sirius and Remus looked up, shocked to find her crying.

“What happened?” Sirius asked James, as he and Remus sat down.

“I-I don’t know, mate, I hugged her, and she just started crying.” James looked as confused as the other boys felt.

Hermione let out a strangled sob, _it was so different here. No Harry. No Ron. No Ginny. No Neville. No Luna. My parents don’t even remember me normally – it'll all be different with them._ Sirius pulled her to his chest, stroking her hair gently and whispering comforting words in her ear.

After a few minutes, Hermione sat up, her tears slowly subsiding, “I-I’m okay now. I-I, uh, I’m sorry,” she looked at Sirius’ shirt, which was covered in her tears, “I-uh, ruined your shirt.”

Sirius smiled at her, “It’s okay, Kitten, nothing a _Scourgify_ won’t fix.”

“Oh-um-okay, then.” She paused, Sirius’ words finally registering, “Kitten?”

“Your nickname.”

Hermione shook her head, “Oh no. Absolutely not. No _way.”_

“Why not?”

“I don’t like it.” _Kitten was her mother’s nickname for her._

“Well then what do you _want_ me to call you?”

“My name. _Hermione_.”

“But that’s not fun,” he whined.

“Too bad,” Hermione stood up, fighting the grin that was making its way across her face.

“C’mon Kitten!”

She rolled her eyes.

“Wait, where’re you going?”

“I’m going for a walk; I need to clear my head.”

“Is it ‘cause I called you Kitten? ‘Cause I won’t do it again!” He cried.

“No,” she laughed, “I just need some time to think.” As an afterthought, “But don’t do it again.”

“Ugh,” Sirius feigned frustration, “fine!” He drew out the _i,_ rolling his eyes.

“Your smile gives it away,” Hermione smirked playfully, letting the portrait slam shut behind her.

Hermione walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, speeding up when she saw the smoke coming out of Hagrid’s cabin. She glanced at her watch, _7:32 pm,_ Peter and the others wouldn’t be back yet, but it was still an acceptable time to visit Hagrid. She took a deep breath and stepped up to his door, knocking firmly.

After a moment, he opened the door and looked down at her curiously, “Hello - how can I help yeh?”

She looked up at him, warmth filling her chest at the sight of her old friend, “Hi, I-I'm Hermione Granger. I’m a new transfer student here. I saw the smoke coming out of your cabin and thought I would drop by and say ‘Hello.’”

He smiled at her, “Well, hello – I'm Rubeus Hagrid, but yeh can just call me Hagrid. I’m the groundskeeper here. Would yeh like to come in?”

“I would love to,” Hermione smiled. She entered the small stone home smiling when Hagrid offered her some tea and rock cakes, “Yes, please.”

“So,” Hagrid started, handing Hermione a teacup and sitting down across from her, “Where’re yeh transfer from?”

“Beauxbatons,” came the answer.

“That’s nice – they got Abraxans, don’t they?”

Hermione grinned, “Yes, they do – they, uh, they pull the carriages.” She quickly thought back to her 4th year when the students from Beauxbatons arrived.

“In’eresting, they’re fascinatin’ creatures, really.”

Hermione agreed, laughing at how Hagrid could easily switch any conversation to animals and all sorts of other creatures. “So, what kinds of animals live around here?”

“Oh, yeh know, they’re lots o’ things around; unicorns, acromantula, hippogriffs, thestrals, even centaurs – but don’t let them hear yeh callin’ them animals – they'll get real upset.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of creatures just in the forest,” Hermione grinned.

“Yeah - it’d be really amazin’, though, if we could keep dragons.” Hagrid gave a little sigh.

“That would be interesting, after all,” Hermione paused, before smiling to herself and continuing, “they’re highly misunderstood creatures.”

Hagrid’s eyes widened, and he nodded excitedly, “Exactly! Yeh’re right – not many people understand tha’, but I'm glad that yeh do.”

They chatted for a while – about other animals and Hogwarts in general before Hermione looked at her watch, _8:27 pm,_ “Hagrid, it’s been really great getting to know you but I'm afraid I have to go – I've got some homework left. But I'll be sure to visit again!” She called out as she left his hut.

It had been about 1 and a half hours since the meeting with Voldemort started and Hermione figured that he wouldn’t keep them longer than two hours – after all, they were still students with a curfew and homework. _Not that Voldemort would care about any of that, I suppose._ Hermione decided she would go and talk to Peter when he was still with the Slytherins, and then later, Hermione would “accidentally” let it slip to the other boys who Peter had been “hanging out” with. Hermione slowly walked towards the doors of the castle, lingering around and feigning interest in some plants along the way.

Her eyes narrowed a little when she saw the students apparating in front of the gate, and she ducked behind a tree. Bellatrix pulled out her wand and opened the gates, and the four walked in. Hermione watched as they slowly walked past her in silence, waiting until they were about ten feet away before stepping out from behind the tree and calling out, “Hey! Peter! Wait up!”

The Slytherins froze, and Peter slowly turned around, trembling, “H-Hello, H-Her-Hermione.”

Hemione hurried to catch up with them, ignoring the looks that the Slytherins gave her, “Are you going back to the common room?’

He stared at her for a long moment, probably wondering why she wasn’t asking what he was doing with three Slytherins, before answering, “Uh, y-yeah. I, um, I was just-” he couldn’t seem to think of anything else to say, so he just stopped talking and nodded instead.

Bellatrix just looked at Hermione like she was crazy before grabbing Lucius’ and Rodolphus’ arms and dragging them into the castle – but not before all three of them gave her dirty looks.

Hermione looked at Peter for a minute trying to decide whether or not to ask what he had been doing. Finally, she concluded that she shouldn’t - she didn’t want to hear whatever poor excuse he would come up with. She narrowed her eyes at him once again, watching him squirm under her gaze, before nodded at the closing doors of the castle, “Let’s go.”

“O-Okay.” He stammered out and followed her back into the Entrance Hall. She walked back to the common room briskly, ready to get started on her homework, and couldn’t help but snicker quietly to herself when she saw Peter practically jogging to keep up with her.

The common room was abuzz with activity, and Hermione smiled when she saw James talking quietly to Lily – it looked like he was already taking her advice. Remus was holed up in a corner, working on homework with Dorcas, and Sirius was laying on the floor, lazily flicking his wand at his notes, making paper cranes out of them. She shook her head in exasperation, walking over to him and sitting down, waving her wand at the cranes and turning them back into flat, neat sheets of parchment.

“Hey! What’d you do that for?!” Sirius cried, sitting up.

“You’ll need those notes later, use different parchment.”

“But, ‘Mioneee,” he whined, “this is more fun!”

She looked at him, it was heartbreaking to see how carefree he was. Before Azkaban. “Sirius,” she raised an eyebrow playfully, “it’s your NEWT year, you’re going to need to study these later on.”

“Well, I-I-” he spluttered, “I can just use your notes! Or Remus’! Or _, maybe_ , Lily will let me use them!”

“They’ll need their notes to study.”

“Ugh,” he grumbled, “whatever.”

Hermione laughed, ruffling his hair, “You sound like a child.”

“I am not!” He said petulantly, crossing his arms. At Hermione’s incredulous look, he shook his head, before pausing, “Well, I’m _almost_ an adult! I’m gonna be 17 in November  
“I’m still 16! 17 is an adult! I’m not 17 yet!”

“Yeah, okay, so you’re still a child.” She grinned at him and sang, “You are 16 going on 17! Baby it’s time to think!” She laughed at his confused look, she stopped singing and said, “anyways, I’m going to the library to study. I’ll see you later.” Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag.

She was just about to walk out the common room door when Sirius called out, “Wait! Hermione!” She turned around, and he hurriedly said, “Make sure you come to dinner!”

“Why?”

“Because, uh, you haven’t been eating enough!” Although that was true, the real reason he wanted her to go to dinner was because the Marauders had prank planned. It would be the first major prank of the year, and he wanted Hermione to be there to witness it.

She rolled her eyes in response and sighed, “Okay. Fine. I’ll be there. Now can I go?”

“Yeah,” he grinned at her, and Hermione couldn’t help but grin back.

Hermione walked to the library slowly, immersed in her own thoughts of when she would tell the Marauders about Peter’s where Peter’s true loyalties lay. She sat down in a secluded corner and started working on some homework when she felt eyes on her, but when she looked around, she didn’t see anyone. Shaking the thought off, Hermione got up to look for a book and had just walked down one of the aisles when, suddenly, she felt a hand grab her from behind. Before she could do anything, another hand covered her face, and she was pulled into a dark corner of the library; she was defenseless – her wand still lay on the table where she had been working. Shivers crawled up her spine when she saw Bellatrix’s face come into view.

“Well, well,” Bellatrix smirked at her, cocking her head to the side, “the little mudblood came to say hello.”

Hermione glared at her defiantly, but inside she was terrified.

“Now listen,” Bellatrix flipped her curls over her shoulder, “if you tell anyone – _anyone_ – about what you saw today...you’ll regret it.”

Raising her eyebrow in response, Hermione replied, “Oh, yeah?”

Bella’s eyes widened in fury – no one in all of Hogwarts dared to talk back to her. She took a deep breath and was about to respond when Hermione smirked at her – as if she was daring her to fight. Bellatrix felt her blood boil, and the next thing she knew, she was punching the other girl. After a moment of shock, Hermione began fighting back, and the two girls were fighting on the floor.

Luckily for Hermione, Sirius had been on his way to the library because Hermione hadn’t shown up for dinner like she had promised. Only a few seconds after he walked in, as he was heading to the back of the library, he saw the two girls.

He immediately rushed towards them and started trying to pull Hermione away, signaling to Lucius to pull his deranged cousin away. Malfoy saw what he was doing and pulled Bellatrix away from Hermione. As the boys were dragging the girls away from each other, Bellatrix, sporting a bleeding nose, spat, “This isn’t over, you stupid freak!”

To Sirius’ surprise, Hermione practically growled at her, “Damn right it isn’t!”

As Lucius pulled Bella out of the library, Sirius turned to Hermione, “What happened?”

Hermione stared at him for a moment, as though she were in shock, and then stammered, “I-I, I was looking for-for a book and, and then – Malfoy came out of nowhere and he grabbed me! And then Bellatrix came and-and she,” Hermione promptly burst into tears – to the surprise of both Sirius _and_ her.

“Woah, Hermione – slow down,” Sirius pulled her into a comforting hug, _I’ll ask her about what happened later, when she’s calmer_.

“I-I’m sorry,” she murmured, wiping away her tears.

It was then that Sirius noticed that she had a black eye and a bruise on her cheek that was turning purple, “’Mione, you’ve got some bruises – let's go to the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey’ll fix you right up.”

She looked up at him, “I-I don’t need to – really – I promise, I’m fine!”

“C’mon,” Sirius gently coaxed her out of the library, flicking his wand at her books, packing them neatly in her bag, and levitating it to himself so he could carry it.

When the pair arrived at the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey immediately took note of Hermione’s beat up face and clucked her tongue exasperatedly, before pulling out some anti-bruising cream, and asking, “What happened?”

Hermione blushed, and muttered, “Fight.”

Sirius cut in, rolling his eyes, “With my crazy cousin, Bella.”

The matron’s eyes widened slightly and slowly nodded, as though she knew exactly what had happened, “I’m going to keep you overnight just in case, okay?”

Sighing a little, Hermione nodded slowly, settling into the bed.

“’Night Hermione, we’ll come see you in the morning, okay? I wish I could stay longer, but I’ve got a lot of homework.”

“Okay, goodnight, Sirius,” Hermione smiled up at him, and Sirius smiled back, unable to help the butterflies growing in his stomach.

**A/N: Comment!!**


	9. ratting out the rat

**September 21, 1977**

**Later That Night, The Hospital Wing**

**3 rd Person POV:**

***Use of Profanity***

Hermione awoke with a start. Another nightmare. _Thank goodness I put those silencing charms up_ , she thought to herself as she stood up, _maybe if I walk around for a few minutes, it’ll help clear my head._ She stood, making her way over to a rack on one side of the Hospital Wing, where her beaded bag was, when she suddenly heard some scuffling. She froze, softly calling out, “Who’s there?” When she got no response, she hurried to grab her bag, and went back to her bed.

The same noise came again, closer this time, and Hermione looked around warily, eyes narrowing when she caught sight of the shadow of a boy in the corner that suddenly disappeared and the pink tail, that, a few moments later, vanished under a hospital bed. _Peter_.

 _I ought to try and coax him out._ thought Hermione, _Well. This confrontation is going to happen a lot earlier than I thought it would._

“Hello?” She called again, “I know you’re there; I just saw you; I think you might as well come out from under the bed.” _One,_ Hermione counted, _Two…Three._ She pulled out her wand and in one swift motion, flicked it at the rat hiding under the bed, which turned into a scrawny teenager. A very _angry,_ scrawny teenager.

“What the _fuck_?! How the _Hell_ did you know I’m an animagus!

Hermione froze, desperately trying to think of a way to get Peter to admit he was a Death Eater, “Uh, well, I d-don't know, I guess I just-”

She was immediately cut off by Peter, “Never mind! I don’t want your stupid excuses! You will _not tell anyone what you saw today_!” At Hermione’s raised eyebrow, he yelled, “I do. Not. Care. What you told Black. Or what she told you. If you tell _anyone._ And I mean _anyone._ About what happened, I can guarantee you’ll regret it.”

“And what _exactly_ did I see? Just some students walking around the grounds, near curfew? Is that what you’re mad about? You don’t want to get in trouble for being out past curfew?”

“What?! Are you stupid?!”

“Maybe. Enlighten me.” Hermione sneered, struggling to keep her voice quiet.

“Listen. I don’t care about whatever stupid game you think you’re playing. Just do what I said-” the color returned to his cheeks when he saw Hermione roll her eyes, and he roared, “IF YOU TELL A. SINGLE. PERSON. ABOUT THE MEETING WITH THE DARK LORD YOU. WILL. _PAY_!”

It was then that Hermione realized how Peter came to be a Gryffindor. It wasn’t because he was particularly brave, or chivalrous, _no_ , _it was because he was good at masquerading as a Gryffindor. Pretending to be brave. And, pretending to_ not _be brave. Quite like Scar, from the Lion King_ , she mused to herself. _A lion, yes, but brave? Really,_ truly _brave? At heart? No. Never._

 _After all, yes, every lion had its moments of bravery. Short bursts of power they had the mediocre confidence to exhibit. Before returning back to the shadows. Returning to scavenge for scraps left by the_ truly _brave of heart._

She took a deep breath, trying to control the pure rage she felt towards the rat. For betraying his best friends. Betraying the Order. Betraying everything that the Light stood for. Everything good, and all that the good symbolized. For betraying _Harry_. “The Dark Lord, you say?” Hermione managed to bite out.

Peter’s eyes widened as he realized what he had blurted out in his anger, and the consequences that he would face as a result. He moved to leave the wing, but with a couple flick of Hermione’s hand, the door was locked, the _muffliato_ she had cast earlier taken down, and Peter’s wand was in her hand. She sent a patronus to Albus, asking him to come down to the Hospital Wing.

And then she started screaming.

Madame Pomphrey, woken by the sudden noises, rushed out of her quarters and was met, to her shock, with a scene quite unlike any other she had ever seen before.

Hermione was sobbing on the bed, screaming at Peter to _stay away_ from her, to _get away_ from her. And the Pettigrew boy was staring at her in shock, the last of his anger disappearing from his cheeks, replaced by a terrified expression.

However, this was not the terrified type of expression that stemmed from being genuinely scared of what could happen, or what could happen to someone else. No, this was a guilty terror, and later that night the Matron would understand _why_ he was so guilty.

Poppy hurried to get her a calming draught, and was about to administer it when Albus and Minerva came rushing in. She looked surprised but didn’t comment, turning to give Hermione the draught, when the girl stopped screaming and looked up at her innocently – as though nothing had happened.

“Thank you, Madame Pomfrey, but I’m alright, I don’t need the draught.”

“But-I-Miss Granger!”

“It’s alright Poppy,” Albus cut in, “What happened, Miss Granger?”

Hermione pointed an accusing finger at Peter, “He’s a Death Eater.”

Minerva and Madame Pomfrey both gasped, staring at Pettigrew.

“Miss Granger, that is a very serious accusation to make,” said Albus quietly.

“I’m pretty sure that he has the Dark Mark,” at the adults’ reluctant looks, she added, “check his left arm! And if he doesn’t have it, at least question him! He just admitted to me that he had been meeting with Voldemort!”

The headmaster raised an eyebrow and sent a meaningful glance at the matron, who hurried away (most likely to get someone else, Hermione deduced), “Mr. Pettigrew? Is this true?”

Peter’s eyes widened and he stammered, “N-No! Of course not! She’s crazy!”

“Not true! You came in here to spy on me! And then, you threatened me!”

“I-I,” Peter couldn’t figure out what to say, except, “I’m not a death eater!”

Albus nodded slowly, “So you won’t mind proving it, will you?”

Hermione had to hide her smirk. Just then, the doors burst open, revealing an annoyed Mad-Eye Moody.

“Ah, Minerva, Alastor, I am about to take Mr. Pettigrew, here, to my office for questioning. Ms. Granger believes he is a death eater, and during times like these, well, it is better to be safe than sorry.”

Minerva looked shocked, _one of her cubs was a death eater?_ Impossible. _But it was Hermione who had said so, and she knew what would happen to all of them._

**September 22, 1977**

**Very Early in the Morning, the Headmaster’s Office**

**3 rd Person POV:**

The Headmaster led his closest friend, a trusted auror, newly found niece, and _supposed_ death eater to his office, sighing quietly to himself as Peter looked around guiltily, as though he were trying to figure out a way to escape. Although he didn’t want to admit it, with the way Peter was acting, he was, most assuredly, a death eater.

When they reached the office, a shaking Peter was led to one of the chairs opposite the desk, and Albus sat down. They waited.

And waited.

And then waited some more.

After an eternity, Professor Slughorn rushed in, carrying a vial of clear liquid.

Albus watched as Peter tensed at the sight of the potion, but only said, “Thank you for joining us, Horace.”

“Er, yes, of course, Headmaster.” He handed Moody the potion, who turned to administer it to Peter.

The rat’s eyes widened, and he suddenly cried out, “Stop it! I don’t want to take that!”

Minerva straightened up, “Mr. Pettigrew. You will either take the potion willingly, or it will be forced down your throat.”

Peter looked terrified, but he still shied away from Moody and the Veritaserum.

Moody looked up at Albus, who nodded, and in one swift motion, the auror brought the potion to Peters mouth and poured it down his throat, pressing a rough hand to Pettigrew’s swallow reflex.

Flicking his hand at a quill that wrote down exactly what was said, Dumbledore began questioning the Gryffindor.

“Are you working for Lord Voldemort, or as his followers call him, the Dark Lord?”

“Yes.”

“How long have you been working for him?”

“It will be 2 years in December.”

“So, since the holidays, or so, of your 5th year?”

“Yes.”

“Have you taken the Dark Mark?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you join him?” A sad expression flitting over his face, Albus continued, “What did they offer you? Protection? Money? Power?”

“To teach those brats a lesson. The Dark Lord offered me all of those things, and more. Everything I could ever want, and everything _they_ could never give me.”

“Who, exactly, is _they_?”

“James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. They are going to pay for what they’ve done.” the teenager spat out.

“And what, exactly did they do?”

“They’re so _fucking_ obnoxious and bratty. They never think of anyone but themselves.”

“Alright. That is enough. Alastor, please check his arm for the mark.”

Immediately, the auror moved forward, lifting Peter’s sleeve up. To everyone’s surprise it was bare. The four adults in the room looked at each other, confused.

Hermione, who had been silent up until then, huffed, and moved forward, pulling out her wand, and pointing it at Peter. She quickly muttered a short series of spells under her breath, and Peter’s arm glowed for a moment before the Dark Mark was revealed.

Sighing, the Headmaster nodded at Alastor, “We ought to take him away.”

The Veritaserum’s effect had finally died down, and Peter cried out, “No! Please-” but Minerva cut him off.

“Mr. Pettigrew, what you have done is unacceptable, and you _will_ comply, or else…” She let her threat hang in the air, watching as Peter slumped over in his seat, finally allowing himself to be dragged out by Mad-Eye, with Albus following closely behind.

“I-Well-Alright then, that was quite surprising,” the potions professor stumbled over his words, “Goodnight, ladies.”

Left alone, Hermione turned to Minerva, “What’s going to happen to him?”

“Well, he’ll go to Azkaban, where he will await a formal trial.” She paused, “And then, he will most likely go to Azkaban permanently, unless some evidence comes up, that he did not do all those things willingly.”

Hermione couldn’t help but snort at the thought.

Smiling lightly at Hermione, Minerva pulled her new daughter into a gentle hug, “It’s late, you should go back to bed, okay?”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to wait for Albus for a little bit, and if he takes longer than expected, well, then I’ll go to bed, too.”

“Alright, goodnight, Minerva.”

“Goodnight, dear.”

**A/N: Hey, sorry it’s really short, but that’s all I have for today. Please stay safe and wear a mask!**


	10. grieving

**September 22, 1977**

**That Morning (at a Reasonable Time), The Hospital Wing**

**3 rd Person POV:**

***Use of Profanity***

Hermione sighed quietly to herself when she opened her eyes, and was opened her eyes, and was _yet again_ met with the Hospital Wing Ceiling. She was getting rather sick of being here. Her thoughts strayed back to what happened last night – or, really, earlier this morning – and she groaned at the thought of breaking the news to the other Marauders. _Maybe Minerva or someone will tell them,_ she hoped, _but probably not. After all, since I was the one who “figured” it out, them might want me to break it to them._ As she got ready for class, she pondered _how_ exactly she would tell them. _Hey, your other best friend – yeah, the rat – is a death eater, by the way._

She thought about skipping breakfast, but then decided that would be weird, not to mention the fact that she had promised Sirius she would see him then. Sitting down at the end of the table – she hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone at the moment – she grabbed a slice of toast, beginning to butter it and, once again, getting lost in her thoughts.

However, she was rudely interrupted by a _way_ too chipper James plopping down next to her, “Today’s the day!”

“For what?” Hermione raised an eyebrow.

“The day Evans is going to confess her love to me!”

Sitting down on her other side, Sirius rolled his eyes, “Mate, you say that every day, and it hasn’t happened yet.”

“Nor will it ever happen,” Remus added, grinning, from across her.

“You just wait! It’ll happen, I swear it!” James cried indignantly.

Hermione nodded absentmindedly, staring at her toast. She couldn’t bring herself to meet any of their eyes, knowing that what she would have to tell them later would crush them. She couldn’t help but cling on to the hope that Minerva or Albus would tell them.

And, as it happens ever so often, one’s wishes are granted.

When Minerva walked into the Great Hall that morning, she saw her daughter’s expression, and she knew that it would be difficult for her to tell the boys. Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to them, “Potter, Black, Lupin, Granger, come with me, there is something I need to discuss with the four of you.” Catching Hermione’s eye, she winked when the boys weren’t looking, and she smiled a little to herself at the girl’s relieved face.

They walked to her office slowly, Sirius and James both pestering “Minnie,” who only ignored them, and Hermione trailing behind, dreading the conversation to come.

Remus caught on to this, and hung back for a moment, letting Hermione catch up, “Hey, is everything ok?”

“Huh?” She looked up, startled, “Oh, yeah, yeah, everything’s ok.”

At his skeptical look, she offered a weak smile, and he dropped it, but stayed by her side.

“I wonder where Pete is,” James’ loud voice cut through her thoughts as they arrived at the Deputy Head’s office, and Hermione couldn’t help the wince that crossed her face. Both Sirius and Remus noticed it, however, but when they made eye contact, the two agreed to not say anything.

“Probably still asleep, or something,” Sirius replied a moment later as the three boys sat down.

Sighing, Minerva made her way behind her desk, “I’m afraid not, boys.”

“What do you mean?” Remus’ forehead wrinkled slightly in confusion.

“Last night, Mr. Pettigrew was found harassing another student, who accused him of being a Death Eater.”

At the three boys’ cries of indignation, she held up a hand for them to stop.

“Accusations like those are very serious, so he was taken to the Headmaster’s office for questioning under Veritaserum.” Pausing for a moment, she continued, “He admitted to it.”

“That’s not true!” Yelled Sirius, standing up, “Pete would never do something like that! You’re lying!”

“I’m afraid not, Sirius.” Minerva replied, using his first name, “We found the dark mark on his arm, and Auror Moody has taken him to Azkaban, where he awaits a trial. He and a few others will be back at some point today to search through Peter’s belongings.”

“I don’t believe you!” James cried, “This has got to be some sort of crazy prank. And I’ll tell you, right now! It’s not funny!”

“I’m very sorry, boys, but it’s all true. I know that Peter was the last person you would have thought to be a Death Eater, and I didn’t believe it at first, either. But I can confirm that it is all very true.”

Remus, who had been silent up until then, spoke up, “Which student accused him of it?”

At his question, both Minerva and Hermione (who had been standing a few feet behind the boys) froze, looking at each other. When Hermione gave Minerva a miniscule nod, and the Deputy took a deep breath, “Miss Granger.”

“What happened to Hermione?” James and Sirius both asked at the same time, not quite understanding that Minerva had answered Remus’ question.

However, Remus understood, and he swiveled around in his seat to look at her, “Hermione?” When she didn’t respond, he continued, “Is it true? How did you know?”

“I-I-um-well.” She stumbled over her words, “Yes, yes, it is true. He admitted it to me last night.”

Sirius stared at her, “That’s stupid. First of all, none of it’s true, and second of all, if it was, why would he _admit_ to it?”

Hermione stared at the floor, “Remember when I went out for a walk? Well, I saw him and some Slytherins walking back to the castle together, so I went to go say ‘Hi.’ Anyway, that’s why Bellatrix and I got into a fight – she was threatening me, saying that if I told anyone I would be in trouble. And then, Peter came to the Hospital Wing last night, and he also threatened me, except he let it slip that he was working for Voldemort.” The other teenagers winced at his name, but Hermione continued anyway, “So I called for Madame Pomfrey, who got Al- Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Auror Moody. We all went to his office, and Professor Slughorn brought the Veritaserum.” She paused, her voice shaking a little – not because she felt bad for Peter, no, but because she felt bad for the boys, “They-they had to force it down his throat, and then Professor Dumbledore started q-questioning him.” She stopped again, fighting back her angry tears, “He admitted to it. He said he joined during December of your 5th year, or so.”

“Liar.” Sirius glared at her.

“N-No! I’m not lying, I swear! He had the mark and everything!”

Remus buried his head in his hands, James tried to keep his tears at bay, and Sirius’ eyes begged her to tell them she was _only kidding._

Hermione felt a sharp pang of guilt at the pain she was causing these boys, _It will be better for them in the long run, remember_. Well, that’s what she told herself, anyway, but the problem was that she never liked to listen herself.

“I-I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” She stammered out.

Remus looked up at her, finally speaking, “You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t know this was going to happen – he brought it upon himself.”

Hermione winced _; she_ did _know this was going to happen._ She made her way over to Remus sitting beside him and wrapping her arms around him. She wasn’t exactly sure what she should do, but hugging him felt, well, it felt _right._

To her surprise, the lycan turned to her, hugging her back. He buried his face into her neck, and a moment later, she felt the hot tears. After a minute she couldn’t hold hers back anymore and her own tears were streaming down her face as she stroked his back whispering that, “Everything will be ok. I promise.”

“B-But what if it’s not?” James quiet voice broke through the nervous silence.

“It will be, I promise. We’ll make sure it is, alright, James?”

Hearing her words, Sirius whirled around, “How do you know? How could you possibly know how things are going to turn out? Huh? See, that’s the thing, you don’t! None of us do! Our best friend – our brother – just turned out to be a _fucking_ Death Eater!”

Hermione looked at him for a moment, “I just do.”

“Oh! She _just does_! That certainly helps!” He yelled at her, and Hermione had to remind herself that _he was hurting, that’s why he’s lashing out like this._

Gently easing Remus, who had stopped crying, off her, she made her way towards Sirius and pulled him towards her. He stiffened for a moment, and she couldn’t help being surprised when, after a few seconds, he clutched her like she was his lifeline, his uncontrollable cries finally filling the room.

And that’s how Minerva found the four of them when she came back to the room.

Grieving.

For a stranger.

For their best friend.

For their brother.

For the boy who made all the wrong decisions.

For the boy who worked for Voldemort.

For the Death Eater.

**A/N: Hey! Once again, I know that this is really short, but I’m planning on having shorter chapters, and faster updates. Please wear a mask and stay safe, and don’t forget to comment what you think - it really means a lot :D**


	11. regulus & the order

**September 29, 1977**

**That Evening, Heading Towards the Headmaster’s Office**

**3 rd Person POV:**

***Use of Profanity***

Huffing, Hermione stopped towards the Headmaster’s office – it would be an understatement to say that she was mad. No. She was upset. Furious. Completely and _utterly_ enraged. Why? Because Sirius and James had just bullied Severus to nearly the point of tears – but of course, his Slytherin pride wouldn’t let him _actually_ cry. But no, although that was bothering her, it wasn’t what was bothering her _the most_ at the moment. What was bothering her was the fact that Severus had commented on Remus’s _furry little problem_ , which she had pretended to not hear, because she wasn’t supposed to know anything about it. She was furious at herself for forgetting that she could make the Wolfsbane potion for Remus, and that was how she found herself heading towards her uncle’s office – to ask him if he could help get the ingredients (after all, some of them were very hard to get by, and even illegal).

Not that doing illegal things bothered her anymore, but she didn’t want to accidentally attract unwanted attention from anyone yet. Which was difficult, since the first people she became friends with were the Marauders. Finally reaching the gargoyles, she muttered the password, “Pepper imps,” and absentmindedly made her way up the staircase.

She knocked on the door, opening it when she heard him call out, “Come in.”

“Hi, um, Uncle Albus, I, well, I was wondering if I could talk to you for just a moment?”

Seeing who it was, he smiled, “Of course, dear, what’s the matter?”

“Well,” she paused, trying to figure out how to word her request, “you see, I know about Remus’s problem.” She paused again, watching as he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, but since he made no implication that he wanted her to stop, she plowed on, “Um, yes, so where – or when, really – I come from, there’s this potion to help werewolves, and although it doesn’t cure them, it helps them keep their head when they transform. You see, they still transform, but they are in control of what they do, how they think, and…well…you get the idea.”

“I see. Well, that is wonderful, now, what is it exactly, that you would like to do?”

“I want to brew it for Remus. He really doesn’t deserve the pain that he has to go through every month, a-and we don’t have to tell him that it was me, since, you know, the potion hasn’t really been invented yet, but we could just give it to him and ask him to not tell anyone. It’ll work! I know it will! Please?”

Albus sighed, clearly trying to figure out whether or not to agree to her request. After a moment, he said, “Okay. Brew the potion, and it will be given to him – but as you said, he is not to know that it is you. Attention is not something that someone in your predicament will find beneficial.”

Hermione grinned at him, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She stopped suddenly, her smile falling off, and at Albus’s inquiring look, she grimaced, “I forgot one more thing.”

“And that is?”

“Well, some of the ingredients are very hard to come by, and I had been hoping that if you agreed to letting me brew the Wolfsbane – that’s what it’s called – you might be able to help me get some of them?” She trailed off awkwardly.

“Alright, let’s have a look at them, then.” His eyes twinkled, and she grinned at him, pulling the list of ingredients out of her bag. Reading over them quickly, he looked back up at her, “Hermione, some of these are illegal.”

“Er, well, in my time, they’re not, but, um, I had kind of hoped that you might know someone who had them, anyway.”

To her shock, he smiled, “Well, I do, and I can have these for you in two weeks. I have some favors I can cash in on,” he winked at her.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Albus!”

“Of course, dear.”

Hermione hurried out of his office, ready to tackle the next thing on her list.

So far, she had managed to cross off Number 6: _Expose Peter_. Now, she was going to do Number 7 ( _getting the diadem_ ), and with any luck, manage do Number 1 ( _Join the Order_ ) soon.

 _Okay, so, I go to the Room of Requirement, find the diadem, and then…what?_ Hermione was somewhat at a loss as to what she ought to do once she got a hold of the horcrux. So, _no_ , getting the diadem and then not knowing what to do be a bad idea. She would have to figure out a plan first. _Alright, well that shouldn’t take too long, I can go to the library and figure it out there – maybe check for more books on time travel._

_Where the fuck am I supposed to store a piece of some psychopath’s soul?_

Nearly an hour later, she was sitting in a corner of the library, hair held together by an old muggle pen, chewing furiously on a quill, and the frustration was really beginning to kick in. _Whatever, I’ll just go get it, and then figure something out,_ she thought, even though she knew that doing so would probably end in disaster. After all, she had absolutely no ideas, except for storing it under her bed, but that was a horrible suggestion. _I mean, what am I going to do? Wear it, or something? I mean, it is pretty._ She snorted to herself at the thought of wearing a piece of Voldemort’s soul again, even if it _was_ a nice tiara that would make her smarter. Hermione had had a horrible enough experience with the locket, and she most definitely wasn’t about to go wearing another horcrux.

Standing up and stretching, she covered up a yawn as she got her books and papers together. Hermione had made up her mind – she was going to go find the diadem (since it would probably take a while to find it in the room itself), and then if she hadn’t come up with a place to put it, she would leave it somewhere she could easily remember and find again.

Reaching the Room of Requirement, she started pacing. _I need the place where everything is hidden. I need the place where everything is hidden. I need the place where everything is hidden._

_Nothing. Damnit. Why wasn't it working?_

She tried again.

And again.

And again.

 _Finally! Thank Merlin, it worked,_ she thought, as she hurried through the wooden door that appeared in the wall.

Hermione dropped her bag on the floor, _time to start looking._

She knew it was sitting on a bust somewhere in the room, but the problem was that the room was just so _damn_ big, she didn’t know where to start.

 _Honestly, I have no idea,_ she thought grumpily.

Sighing to herself - she seemed to be doing that a lot lately - she tried to remember where she, Harry, and Ron had found it during the Final Battle. Slowly, she made her way to the left, trying to retrace her steps from a few months ago.

 _No, that stack of books definitely wasn’t there the first time around._ She was going in the wrong direction.

Two - nearly three - hours passed, with Hermione searching fruitlessly for the goddamn tiara.

Just as she was about ready to give up, she caught a glimpse of something sparkly in the corner of her eye. Whirling around, Hermione gasped at the sight of the diadem.

_Finally. That took long enough._

Slowly, as though she were almost scared to approach it, Hermione walked towards it.

Picking it up and holding it arms' length, like it being two more feet away from her would help stop the darkness making its way inside of her and eating her, she began making her way back to the front of the room, she caught sight of a vanishing cabinet.

Not just any vanishing cabinet, no, it was _the_ Vanishing Cabinet - _the very one that Malfoy had used back in 6th year to bring Death Eaters into the school._

Hurrying to put the diadem in her bag, she practically ran back to the cabinet.

Hermione took a deep breath, raising her wand and preparing to hit the offending dresser with her strongest ‘ _bombarda,’_ she was shocked to hear someone yelling at her.

"Stop!" A boy ran into her line of sight, almost throwing himself in front of the cabinet to try and prevent her from harming it.

"What-" Hermione started.

However, the boy beat her to it, "What- I- what the hell are you doing in here? How'd you find this place? It's not supposed to let other people in!"

Hermione could only stare in shock before managing (somehow) to say, "Oh. Well, that must have been why it took me so many tries to get in."

He stared at her incredulously , and all Hermione could do was awkwardly stare back, trying to think of something more to say.

However, before she could get anything else out, Regulus opened his mouth.

And then closed it.

Hermione didn’t know how long they stood there, staring at each other, both trying to think of something to say. Something to justify what they were doing.

Finally, she remembered what she had been about to do before Sirius’s younger brother had shown up. “Well. If you’re not going to say anything, could you please move so that I can finish what I was going to do?”

“Wha-Wait!” Hermione’s statement effectively startled the younger Slytherin out of his shock, “No! You can’t destroy it!”

She stared at him, “Why not? Why does it matter to you?”

As he stood there, desperately trying to think of something to say, she remembered _Number 3_ on her list – try to reconcile Sirius and Regulus, and she knew that no such reconciliation would be happening if he was a Death Eater, so her only hope was to get him on their side.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too hard, since he did, eventually, switch to the Light Side. All she had to do was get him to switch earlier – show him how Voldemort was in the wrong. After all, as far as she knew, he was still a blood purist. However, he was still Sirius’ brother.

Before he could say something, she quickly rushed out, “It’s for Voldemort isn’t it?”

He visibly flinched – although whether it was from the accuracy of her statement or the way she said the name, she did not know.

When he continued to stay silent, she kept talking, “He’s trying to make you prove yourself, right? You know you don’t have to – you could leave, like Sirius did! I know that you know what he’s doing is wrong. And, well, I don’t know if you believe in blood purity and stuff, but I know you don’t think killing everyone but purebloods or whatever is right! I-I can help you! I promise. Just – please don’t join! It’ll only end badly for you!” She rambled, her voice getting higher and more frantic towards the end.

His eyes were comically wide, and he blinked a couple times before whispering, “C-Could you? Really?”

“Help you? Yes, of course!” Hermione hadn’t thought it would be so easy to get him to agree.

“But…actually. No. Nevermind. I don’t think this is a good idea. You ought to leave. And don’t tell anyone what you saw.”

“What?” Hermione couldn’t help the panic in her voice, “Why not?!”

He gave her a strange look, “Why does it matter to you?”

She froze up again, “W-Well, um, you see…” she trailed off, desperately trying to think of something as he looked at her expectantly, “I-I can tell you don’t really believe what Voldemort – _don’t flinch like that, it’s just a name –_ believes, and if you don’t believe in it, then you shouldn’t be forced into doing it.”

He raised an eyebrow, “I have to. My family will make me. Mainly, er, mainly my mum. She’s really into You-Know-Who.”

“Really.” Hermione couldn’t help the sarcasm that crept into her voice.

Regulus gave her a small, tentative, smile, “Yeah. And, hey, just between you and me, I think it might be a crush.”

She laughed a little bit, before turning serious again, “I mean it though, even if you have to join Voldemort, Dumbledore will help, and maybe you could be, I don’t know, a spy or something. Either way, we can figure something out.”

He sighed, considering her offer. Regulus hated Voldemort. Not a lot of people knew, but it was true. He hated him for what he and his Death Eaters had tried to force Sirius to do, and how they had hurt him when he refused. However, he also knew he couldn’t abandon his family – not like Sirius had done. Sirius. Maybe he could repair their relationship. He would never admit it to anyone – he didn’t exactly have anyone – but he missed his older brother. A lot. “Fine. But I can’t leave my family. So maybe…a spy, I guess?”

She lit up, “Okay! I’ll talk to Dumbledore, and we’ll come up with a plan.”

He looked taken back at her enthusiasm, “Er, yeah, thank you.”

“Well then, I’ll see you around.” Hermione offered him a grin and started walking out before she froze and spun around on her heel, “Uh, what were you doing with that cabinet?”

“I-Well. I’m supposed to be trying to use Vanishing Cabinets to bring…um. To bring Death Eaters into the castle.”

Hermione involuntarily gasped, “W-What?!”

“Er, yeah, but he said it’s only going to be used if it absolutely has to? Apparently, he doesn’t want to destroy the castle.”

“O-Okay.” To say Hermione was shocked, would be an understatement, Voldemort had tried to do the same thing twenty years later – but with Draco Malfoy. Regulus must have failed, then. “Well, you’re going to have to fail, but we can figure something out to make it believable – maybe something related to the magic of the school?” She mused.

He nodded, “Alright.”

“Okay then, well, bye.” Hermione smiled awkwardly, and hurried out, followed by Regulus’ ‘See you!’

**September 29, 1977**

**Even Later That Evening, In the Headmaster’s Office (Again)**

**3 rd Person POV:**

“Uncle Albus?”

He looked up, surprised to see her walk in for the second time that day, “Hello dear, what brings you to my office again?”

“Er, well, I have a few questions for you.”

“Okay, come, have a seat.”

“Alright. Well, one, I talked to Regulus today.”

“Mr. Black?”

“Yes, a-and, well. You see, his mother wants him to join Voldemort.” Her uncle immediately turned serious, “And doesn’t want to, but he said he can’t abandon his family. So, well, I kind of told him that I would talk to you and you would help him.”

“Hermione, the fact that he might be a Death Eater-”

She quickly cut him off, “No! He’s not a Death Eater yet. They have to, well, they have to ‘prove’ themselves first. Before they can be inducted. And I was thinking, maybe he could be, I don’t know, a spy for the Order? I mean, it would useful.”

He leaned back in his chair, considering what she said, before responding, “Alright. I will call him up here in the next few days and talk to him.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Of course, dear,” he smiled at her, “but, I do have one question. How do you know about the Order?”

“Perks of being from the future?” She laughed nervously, “Which brings me to my second question. It, well, it isn’t really a question.” Hermione took a deep breath, before looking her uncle in the eyes, “I want to join. I know how useful I can be. And, technically, I am of age.”

He sighed, “Hermione, I’m not sure.”

She took a deep breath, trying to stop the anger rising in her chest, “Well, I am. I am of age, and I know more about what is happening and how to take Voldemort down than – well, to be honest – probably more than anyone else. I am more than capable of being in the Order.”

“It is not your capabilities that I am worried about, Hermione, but you still in school.”

“That doesn’t matter. When I can, I can attend the meetings, and work on stuff out here – no missions until I graduate.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“For the Order,” she clarified, but the Headmaster clearly wasn’t convinced.

“Hermione, dangerous things happened to people who meddle with time.”

She lifted her chin and very nearly glared at him, “That does not matter. I could save _hundreds_ of lives. Maybe even more. And, well, to be frank, if you don’t understand that, then I don’t know what you’re doing ­as the leader of the Order. The goal of the Order – in case you hadn’t realized – was to take down Voldemort and save as many lives as possible. And I know how to do that.”

He sighed and took a deep breath, “Fine. However, you will not be allowed to go on any missions until you graduate – as you said. We have a meeting this Saturday – at the Weasley’s – at 7 pm. Come to my office at 6:45 and we can floo in.”

“Great! Thanks, Uncle Albus!” Hermione chirped, satisfied with the response she had gotten, she grabbed her bag and (probably) would have skipped out the door if her Headmaster hadn’t been there.

She could successfully cross two things off her list and was on her way to helping Regulus and Sirius reconcile. In her opinion, it had been quite a productive day, _although I could get started on that Charms homework,_ she added to herself, making her way to the common room.

Little did she know that the Marauders were growing a little suspicious of her. After all, she hurried off to Merlin-knew-where as soon as classes were over, and _then,_ when they tried looking for her on the map, she had been leaving Dumbledore’s office, when suddenly, she just _disappeared._ No one just _disappeared_ off the map! They had made sure of it! Unless, of course, there was somewhere that they hadn’t mapped out in Hogwarts – but that was practically impossible. After all, they had even gotten Nearly Headless Nick to check for them!

 _And_ _then,_ much to their shock, she reappeared, (once again, out of nowhere), and with none other than Regulus Black.

Sirius wanted to confront her, but Remus (ever the reasonable one) refused to let him, after all, they ought to have more concrete evidence that she was up to something before they accused her of something.

**A/N: I had these first 11 chapters done from a long time ago and they are uploaded on both fanfiction.net (@honeydawn) and wattpad (@h0neydawn). As of now, these are all the chapters I have done, but I'm working on the next one right now! I just made an account on AO3, even though I've read fics on here for a while now, and I didn't want to hold back any chapters. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!**


End file.
